Fire Emblem Heroes: A Summoner's Journey
by SharpEyLogic
Summary: When your average Fire Emblem player is sent to the world of Heroes, it gets pretty dramatic. Duplicate heroes, family members fighting to the not-really-but-still-is-death and lovers at each others throats is the norm in the world of Zenith and our chosen summoner is ready to face it all. Rate, review and follow! Rated T for blood
1. Prologue: World of Zenith

A Summoner's Journey

Prologue: World of Zenith

My name is Lucian. And I am falling down a bottomless hole. Okay, let's back up a bit. I remember going to high school today, doing three hour long school work at home, then playing Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword on my Gameboy until it was midnight. I actually managed to make it to Chapter 26, I believe. Anyways, I opened my window and let the cool summer breeze glide into my room. I climbed into bed and fell asleep. Next thing I knew, I woke up falling in a endless white hole.

"What the hell am I doing here?", I murmur to myself, rubbing my eyes, "I don't think I drunk THAT much last night…".

As I continued tumbling down the white hole (with absolutely no pain or friction at all), I eventually see light at the bottom of the hole.

"Well, let's hope that this dream ends soon…", I said, and I fell into the deep light, my vision going black and my consciousness fading away

"Hey! Hello? Are you awake?", a distant voice rang in front of me.

My vision was blurry and my head ached, but my sight was clear enough to see a red-haired figure in front of me.

"Are you alright? Can you wake up?", the figure continued to ask.

"Uughh…", I groan and sit up, my headache fading and my vision clearing to see a temple made of gray stone and an entire wall etched with glowing red, blue and green stones, all arranged in a circle pattern. The figure in front of me was female, with a gold and white uniform and a small axe on her back, as well as blazing red hair.

"Oh good, you're awake", the girl smiled, then cleared her throat, "Great hero from beyond! It is an honor to have you come so far to fill the role of your destiny!".

I look at the girl, dumbfounded. Me? A hero? That's ridiculous. The only thing I have ever saved was a slice of blueberry cheesecake in my fridge from the monster eater that is my friend, Marco.

"I'm sorry, but you seem to have the wrong person", I said, "But you look familiar. You look like a character from a game I play, Fire Emblem".

"Oh? Who is that interesting character?", the girl asked with a sly smile.

"Hmm, I think her name was Anna", I answered, "She appeared in almost every game in the Fire Emblem series, sporting trademark red hair and her index finger on her chin".

"Oh. Like this?", the girl put her right finger on her chin, giving me an intense feeling of deja vu.

"Yeah… looks just like that… wait!", I got to my feet and looked around the land, "This… this isn't a dream, right?!".

The girl giggled, "This is no dream, great hero. The game you describe in real. This is the world of Fire Emblem".

I pinched myself to make sure it was real. The rolling hills and glowing lights of the orbs nearby didn't fade. I would've squealed with joy and ran around with my hands waving, but Anna was watching, so I reigned my excitement.

"Wow, I'm…", I couldn't even find the words to express how happy I was, "This is awesome! But what Fire Emblem universe it this? Archanea? Jugdral? Perhaps even Ylisse?".

"This may come as a shocker, but it's all of them!", Anna exclaimed, "You see, this is the world of Zenith, a world where the royal family can access portals leading over to the various worlds of Fire Emblem, including the World of Awakening, the World of Blazing, the World of Conquest and the like".

I grinned with excitement and was about to reply when a man wielding an axe and clad in black armor appeared behind Anna.

"Anna, behind you!", I pointed to the man running towards us.

"Oh no, it's an enemy soldier of Embla!", Anna grabbed her Iron Axe off her back, "Stand back, I'll protect you! Err, what's your name?".

"Uhh, Lucian", I replied.

"Alright, I'll protect you Lucian!", Anna faced the Embla soldier, "Let's go!"

"Not to be mean, but I want to test your tactical prowess in this fight", Anna said.

"What? So this was a mistake?!", I cried, surprised.

"Yeah… I kinda just summoned you at random, hoping that you'll be a good tactician in the kingdom of Askr", Anna gave me a sly smile, "But let's put hope to the test! You said you played Fire Emblem before, right? I hope you know how to direct me!".

The Embla axe user came forward and slashed his Iron Axe towards Anna's face. "Get down and strike at his legs!", I commanded and Anna dodged the axe strike and swung at the soldier's legs. The fighter fell backwards and I cried, "While he's down, slam your weapon in his face!". Anna brought her Iron Axe down onto the soldier's head and the weapon split his skull open. The fighter was left in a bloody mess on the ground, with giant gashes on his legs and face.

"Good job! You sounded so confident!", Anna grinned, "But that was only part one. Part two is this…". Anna reached into her back pocket of her white and gold uniform and pulled out a white pistol-looking object.

"Hey… is that a gun?", I asked.

Anna looked at me, confused, "What's a gun?".

"Oh, uh… it's just something from my world. That thing in your hand is shaped like it", I explained, "But if it's not a gun, what is it?".

"This is the legendary relic Breidablik!", Anna declared dramatically.

"Bread-id-ba what?", I asked.

"BREED-DA-BLIK", Anna sounded out for me, "It's the tool I used to summon you".

"Uhh, so I'm supposed to shoot it in the air and expect another high school kid to come out?", I wondered.

"Only Askr commanders and royalty can do that", Anna said, "But a certain chosen one of another world can summon heroes out of the Breidablik, at least that's what the legend says".

"Well, may as well give it a shot…", I murmur as I accept the gun-thing from Anna. I looked around the relic, turning it upside down and sideways, "Where's the ammunition?".

"Oh, the ammo is these special orbs!", Anna again reached into her pockets and pulled out five luminous orbs, all of them glowing with multicoloured light. I took one from Anna and casually tossed it in the air, "How do you fit these in your pockets? They are like super size metal marbles!".

"Trust me, science and magic don't work well together", Anna smiled.

"Oh well", I fit the orbs into the slots on the Breidablik's sides, one at a time and after the fifth orb was placed below the barrel, the entire relic glowed with the same multicolored light, "So now what do I do?", I asked.

"Aim the Breidablik at one of the glowing orbs there", Anna pointed to the wall with the red and blue orbs, "Once you point to it with the relic, it should react and the five orbs will disappear. Shortly after, a hero will be summoned at random! Fun, right?".

"Well, it is like a gamble…", I mused, picking at the summoning gun with my fingers, "But what's life without risks? Let's do it!".

"Alright, you choose on what orb", Anna said.

I aimed the relic forward, then looked behind me, "What's the difference with the colours?".

"Red orbs will summon a hero with a sword or fire tome, blue will summon lances and thunder tomes, green will summon axe heroes or wind mages and gray orbs will summon bow, staff or dagger heroes", Anna explained.

"Quick and simple. Alright, let's try the gray stone…", I pointed the Breidablik at the glowing gray orb, on the bottom right of the circle of orbs. The Breidablik shook and the five orbs on the gun disappeared in a puff of smoke. The gray orb on the wall shined bright with white light and me and Anna covered our eyes as the light flared all around the ruins. When the light cleared, an archer with elegant teal hair appeared in the center of the temple.

"I am Virion, the finest archer of the fairest of realms! Delighted to be of service", the archer said.

Anna's jaw hit the floor, "So the legend is true…", then she cleared her throat, "Lucian, resident of another world, you are the chosen summoner of the Breidablik!".

I stared at the Breidablik in my hand. The barrel was smoking, but it looked fine for something that just shot out an egotistic archer.

"I can't believe this…", I murmured to myself, then I pinch myself again, to be 100% sure that I'm not dreaming. Before I could talk to Virion, a guy with dark blue hair and the same uniform as Anna came running towards the ruins from the right.

"Commander Anna! I'm glad you're alright!", the boy said.

"Alfonse! The legend has come true!", Anna exclaimed, "I raised Breidablik and Lucian appeared! He just used the Breidablik and he summoned Virion! He's the chosen summoner!".

"Anna, that's unbelievable!", Alfonse turned to me with a warm smile on his face, "So you're our great hero from another world? I'm Alfonse, prince of the Askr kingdom and a member of the Order of Heroes. I am pleased to make your acquaintance".

"Nice to meet you too, Alfonse", I held out my hand, "I'm Lucian".

Alfonse shook my hand, "I'm sorry to have to ask you after we just met, but hear me out. Our order is devoted to fighting the Emblian empire, which invades worlds where heroes come from. One of these, is the World of Mystery and I came here to inform Commander Anna that the Emblians have seized the World of Mystery!".

"We have to go free it!", Anna said, "Lead us there Alfonse. Sharena might be in trouble".

"Alright, let's go Lucian, Anna and Virion", the prince gestured with his hand and led us out of the ruins.

We arrived at a castle courtyard, with many light blue portals swirling, all of them leading to different worlds and different timelines.

"Wow…", I marveled, gazing around the area. This was just a simple empty courtyard, yet it had an incredible amount of elegance and work put into it. The floor was clean, solid marble and patches of grass nearby had various kinds of flowers blooming. With the portals nearby, the courtyard looked like a mix between a futuristic portal lab and a medieval palace garden. And somehow, the mixture still made the yard look beautiful.

"What grace! What incredible detail!", Virion was gawking just as much as I was, "This might be just as good as my home country, Rosanne. Perhaps even better and that's a hard thing for me to say!".

Alfonse gave Virion a faint smile, "I'm glad you like it Virion. Our architects spent decades on this castle, time that we had because Embla and Askr were aligned as one".

We walked to the castle gates and faced the swirling blue portal beside it.

"Here it is, the portal to the World of Mystery", Alfonse said.

"Are you sure this is safe?", I asked.

"We have done this many times before. I swear on my honor as a prince that it's safe", Alfonse assured.

"Well, alright. Whatever you say", I relaxed and jumped into the portal, with Alfonse, Anna and Virion following me in afterwards.

"Commander Anna! Alfonse! What took you so long to get to the World of Mystery?", a blond haired girl asked.

"Sorry Sharena, Anna kinda just fulfilled a legend", Alfonse replied.

"Hm? What do you mean - Oh", the blond girl fixed her emerald green eyes on me, "You're that great hero of legend?".

"Uhh, yeah. I got the Breidablik thing working", I said, showing her the white and gold gun.

The girl smiled brightly, "I knew it! Our group hoped against hope that you would come to save us!".

"Sharena, please calm yourself", Alfonse chided, "This is Lucian. As it turns out, our great hero is a talented tactician too. We're in good hands".

"Wow, that's amazing!", Sharena exclaimed, "You're just as great as I imagined! I'm going to be your number one fan!".

Alfonse coughed into his fist.

"Oh, sorry. My manners seem to have gone completely out the window. I'm Sharena", Sharena held out her hand, "Alfonse's darling little sister".

"Good to meet you Sharena", I said.

"Alright, let's get back on topic", Anna said, "Sharena, what's the situation here?".

The Askr princess frowned, "Simply put? Absolutely dreadful. The empire has taken control over some of the most powerful heroes in the World of Mystery. There's one that swoops through the skies, riding a wyvern and is clad in all red".

"That must be the princess of Macedon, Minerva", Alfonse said, "This battle will be tough. We need Virion to shoot down those fliers-". Alfonse was cut off by the sound of loud dragon wings flapping through the air.

"Begone outsiders!", the rider bellowed, "I am Minerva, the princess of Macedon. Now I'll warn you only once- return to your world. I am bound to serve the Embla Empire and their imperial princess, Veronica have given me an order: attack the kingdom near her empire".

Loud flapping rang through the field they were in and two pegasus riders stood by Minerva. One of them had long green hair and was dressed in a green pegasus knight tunic complete with black leggings. The other had short blue hair, with a white headband around her forehead. She was dressed in the same uniform as the green pegasus knight, except that it was blue. The knight also had high blue boots. Before the Askrians could react, a Cleric with short red hair came running up behind Minerva, with a Heal staff in her hand.

"I'm going to help you, sister!", the Cleric exclaimed.

"Maria, it'll be a short battle. You don't need to get involved", Minerva replied.

"But what if you're hurt?", Maria asked, "What if anyone on our side is hurt? You need me!".

Minerva sighed, but the green pegasus knight giggled beside her.

"Let her be", the knight smiled, "You know how stubborn Maria is when she wants to help".

"Princess Minerva, please hear me out", Alfonse said, "My name is Prince Alfonse of the Askr kingdom, the very place you're going to attack. I beg you, please lay down your weapons. I'd hate to battle noble heroes like you".

"Flattery will get you nowhere", Minerva replied coldly, "We must settle this with our blades".

"There IS one way to get us to not fight", the blue pegasus knight said, "Prove to us that you are stronger".

"So battle is our only option?", Alfonse asked.

"She has named her terms and we must abide to them", Anna said, "Everyone, to arms!".

And so the battle ensued. Anna and Virion broke down a cracked wall near a mountainside and now, Virion was sniping Maria and the pegasus knights behind cover, with Anna guarding him.

"Sharena and Alfonse! Take the right side and bait the green swordswoman and Minerva! After they go after you, defeat them!", I commanded.

"On it!", Sharena spun her Iron Lance and charged to the right flank, with Alfonse following her. Virion shot an arrow from his Iron Bow and took down Maria. The blue pegasus knight soared over the mountain and lunged at Virion with her Iron Lance, but Anna swung her axe at the knight's side and knocked her towards the hill. Virion nocked an arrow and shot down the blue knight. The green knight saw Sharena and flew towards her, but Minerva stopped her.

"Palla, don't go rushing towards the enemy to avenge Catria", the Dracoknight chided.

"But commander…", Palla began, but Minerva cut her off, "In this world, we seem to be immortal. You saw how Catria and Maria faded away instead of die, so to win a battle, we must not let out emotions overrule our judgement and try to think tactically to win the fight".

"Right. Sorry commander…", Palla said, gripping her Iron Sword.

"Let me engage the lance girl, you distract Prince Alfonse", and Minerva charged towards Sharena with her Iron Axe. Alfonse was about to intervene, but Palla crashed into the prince and slashed him by his waist. Alfonse growled and attacked back.

"Virion, Anna!", I called, "Alfonse and Sharena need help! Virion, stay behind the mountains and continue to snipe Minerva and the other flier. Anna, help support Sharena!".

"Alright!", Anna came out of the mountain pass and went to help Sharena, but Minerva knew how to turn the situation in her favor. She flew up the mountain and smashed downwards onto Virion, who was about to release an arrow at Palla. The archer fell and dissolved into golden sparkles.

"No! Virion!", I cried, then I gritted my teeth in anger, "Alfonse, stop attacking the sword flier and target Minerva! Anna, support Alfonse and Sharena, take care of the green pegasus knight!".

The trio immediately went into action and caught Minerva by surprise. As soon as Minerva flew back up the mountain, she was ambushed by Alfonse's sword and Anna's axe. Seconds later, she too dissolved into golden dust. Palla swung her blade over Sharena, but the Askr princess was fast. She darted out of the way and stabbed her lance into the pegasus knight's stomach. Palla toppled off her mount and faded like the others. The group walked back to the gateway when Minerva reappeared, this time with her axe strapped to her wyvern.

"Well done. You have proven yourself strong enough to break the contract that binds us", the Dracoknight congratulated, "And doing so allows us to roam free once more. I promise you that Macedon will not attack your kingdom. Farewell", and the Macedonian princess flew off into the vast blue sky.

"That completes our mission", Alfonse smiled, but his face was pained because of Palla's slash wound in his chest.

"You're such a great tactician, Lucian!", Sharena grinned brightly, "Even when Virion was defeated, you kept your cool and changed strategy! Where did you learn that?".

"I'll tell you later", I promised, "But what happened to Virion? Minerva landed on him pretty hard".

"Don't worry", Anna assured, "Heroes summoned by the Breidablik cannot be killed and heroes bound by contract cannot be felled either".

"So… where is he then?", I asked.

"Virion's probably waiting for us in the castle foyer", Anna inferred, "Let's hope he doesn't stoop around the castle too much…".

Suddenly, the blue portal behind them rippled and a knight dressed in white and gold came through.

"Commander Anna, Embla is advancing on Askr!", the knight reported.

Alfonse growled, "This was all a distraction. We have to get back there quickly!".

"Right, we're not going to lose our kingdom so easily. Let's get going!", and Sharena jumped through the portal. Alfonse followed after, then Anna and finally, me and the knight went through.

We popped out in the castle courtyard, where four Emblian troops waited for us.

"Scurry, scurry, little heroes. Steal for me… spread destruction. Kill all that stand in our way. This kingdom must fall. Once it's gone, nobody can oppose me. Every hero in the world… they'll be mine. Every last one", a girl's voice said.

I glanced over to where the voice was. I saw a small girl, wearing a black and gold robe, with wispy white hair and a blood red cape. She donned an oversized gold crowd. Seriously, that must be really hard on her head. No wonder the young girl was cranky enough to start attacking her neighbors.

"We won't allow it, Princess Veronica", Alfonse said sternly, "And I will not forget your violation of my kingdom!".

Veronica turned towards Alfonse, her empty red eyes eerily focusing on me. "Oh, it's you. And after all the trouble I went to arrange your playdate", Veronica turned to me, "Who are YOU stranger?".

I remain silent, smart enough to not answer to this person.

"Hmph, you won't even give me your name? How rude", the Embla princess smiled, "But I know who you are. You have the Breidablik, therefore you are this "legendary summoner" all the Askrians are babbling about. That makes you the first person to die. Oh, Xander!".

A horse-mounted knight wearing black plate mail armor and blond hair rode over to Veronica's side, "You wish this one slain, Princess? As you wish".

"Oh no, she has Xander, the most powerful hero from the World of Conquest!", Sharena cried.

"Don't worry Lucian, we'll protect you", Alfonse drew his sword and placed in over me protectively.

f"Get ready everyone. Let's show this rotten princess how the Order of Heroes fight!", Anna drew her Iron Axe and the battle begun.

"Xander, I leave this matter to you", Veronica said as she opened a purple portal beside her, "I'll have three Embla cavaliers and a troubadour assist you".

"You have my gratitude, princess", Xander bowed, "Now go along, there's no need to get involved with this".

Veronica walked through the swirling purple gateway and disappeared in white light. Without Virion, the battle was a bit harder, but generally still easy. Xander cut from above with his Iron Sword, but Sharena dodged and stabbed him in the gut. A Sword Cavalier rode towards Alfonse and swung his sword onto the prince. Alfonse glowed yellow and shouted:

"Above all, the mission!"

..and slammed his blade into the cavalier, healing Alfonse's wounds.

"This isn't anime Alfonse!", I yelled, "No need to yell out random but admittingly awesome quotes!".

Alfonse continued dueling with the cavalier until Anna jumped in from behind and took down the Embla soldier. Xander caught Sharena in the shoulder and the Askr princess fell backwards. While Sharena was getting up, the troubadour came over and healed Xander of his injuries given to him by Sharena.

"That's enough!", Alfonse jumped overheard and smashed his sword onto the troubadour, taking down the healer in one shot. An arrow flew from behind a wall and hit Anna in the leg. The axe fighter calmly went behind the wall and loud screaming echoed through the courtyard. Anna emerged, blood covering her face and armor. She held up a broken Iron Bow, the limbs of the bow speckled red.

"Yeaahhh… I expected that", I said and looked to where Xander was. Sharena was crawling away while Alfonse distracted Xander. The knight of Conquest was equal, perhaps better than Alfonse in sword skill and easily knocked down the Askr prince.

"Anna, go and help Alfonse and Sharena!", I commanded, "Hurry!".

But Xander wasted no time fulfilling his objective and I suddenly felt a painful jolt in my arm. I sprinted behind a column in the courtyard while Anna attacked Xander. I looked over to my right arm and the sight of blood nearly made me faint. My pajama sleeve was torn from Xander's sword and a huge gushing wound poured blood faster than a chocolate fountain could spew chocolate. Yeaahh… kinda embarrassing, wearing pajamas while leading ancient heroes to fight other heroes. I DID get summoned while I was sleeping though. Blame Anna. Anyways, Anna managed to get a lucky hit on Xander and knocked him away. Xander looked around at his troops, who all disappeared from being defeated.

"I'll retreat for now", he said, with a hint of sadness in his voice, "But don't think this is over", and the horseman galloped away, disappearing in purple portal in the distance. I came out of the column I was hiding behind and Alfonse breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh Lucian, thank goodness you're safe. The battle's won but this didn't resolve a thing. The empire will invade again soon".

"Stubborn girl, why can't we talk through this?", Sharena questioned, "These invasions are crazy. Honestly, that Veronica needs to grow up already. She's such a BRAT!".

"Sharena, don't let your emotion get the better of you - not on duty. I expect you to keep a more level head later on", Anna said sternly.

"Y-yes Commander Anna. I'm sorry", Sharena apologized.

"I apologize for bringing you into this war with us…", Alfonse said to me, "But I'm glad you're here. You are now an official member of the Order of Heroes!".

"You need something better than those pajamas you're wearing", Anna led me down a hallway in the Askran castle towards the laundry room. I felt hot blush on my face. I commanded three whole battles all in my nightclothes and the cut Xander made on my sleeve clearly shown that it's not good for protection. The laundry room in the castle was like a giant hot spring. Maids and butlers all around were washing clothes in the pool, then the water drains down to the filter and cycles back up through the fountain, giving an endless supply of fresh water for drinking and washing.

"Hmm…", Anna scanned the piles of clothing in the baskets around them. I looked around too, but I didn't know what to pick. "Ah, there we go", Anna went over to the top of the stone circle they were on and picked out three pieces of clothing out from the laundry basket: a white and gold robe with a hood, a plain white undershirt and a pair of white and gold boots matching the robe.

"It looks very… bright", I commented.

"I know right? That's how people know we're the good guys!", Anna tossed me the clothes and took me over to my private quarters in the castle.

"Get changed and meet me down in the castle lobby", Anna instructed, "I have some spare orbs in my room, so we're going back to the summoning ruins".

So I got changed and went down to the lobby, Breidablik in hand. Anna was waiting for me and in her hands was a wheelbarrow full of luminous orbs.

"How many are in here?", I asked, shocked.

"Twenty exactly. Enough for a full summon session, I'd wager", Anna grinned, slapping the wheelbarrow with her hand.

We went off alone to the summoning ruins and I loaded the Breidablik with the orbs Anna's supplied me with. I took aim at the first red orb blinding white light filled the ruins. When the light faded, I saw a man, clad in blue armor on a horse with fiery red hair. A Silver Sword was in his hand.

"Oh hey, it's Roy!", I exclaimed.

The man frowned, "Err, sorry, I'm not Roy. I'm his father, Eliwood".

"Ha ha, I was just making a joke. Nice to meet you Eliwood!", I shook Eliwood's hand and continued on.

I loaded four orbs into the Breidablik and aimed at the gray orb. Light flared around the room and another man appeared, this time dressed in ragged black clothing. He had messy white hair and chocolate brown skin, with an awesome eye patch and a Killer Bow in his hands.

"I'm Niles, from the kingdom of Nohr. Former outlaw, current disgrace. My arrows are yours", the man's voice was suave and almost sexy. I instantly knew I was going to like him.

"Nice to meet you Niles. You can wait with Eliwood over there", I said, pointing to the sword lord behind Anna. As Niles went away, I aimed at a blue orb this time. This time, a man appeared wearing yellow and black robes with his muscular chest exposed.

The man cried in a very dramatic voice, "I am Odin Dark! Mage of Nohr! Twilight traveller and infinite enigma!".

"Sounds impressive", I smiled. "Don't take him seriously", Niles said behind me, "He's all talk and drama. I worked with him before and I had to put up with this everyday".

"Hey Niles! How's it going, my old friend?!", Odin waved to the Outlaw, who spat in disgust and walked away.

"Wait Niles! Come back!", and Odin dashed out of the ruins. I looked at the last red orb hammered into the wall. I loaded my gun with four orbs and aimed at the glowing ruby orb. When the light faded, I saw a girl this time, dressed in a short red and white tunic riding a pegasus. Her long hair was dark blue and she had a massive Armorslayer in her right hand.

"I'm Princess Caeda of Talys. I'm also a pegasus knight, although a bit of an unconventional one", the girl said.

"Excellent. Nice to have a flier around here", I grinned at Caeda and told her to join Eliwood behind me. Anna gave me the last three orbs and focused on the gray orb on the bottom left. Light flared around the room and I saw a young girl, wearing an elegant white dress. The girl has short red hair and red eyes and she was holding a Mend staff.

"I'm Maria and I'm a real princess of Macedon. I'll do my best to help everyone, so keep me nearby!", Maria squealed.

"Aww, you're so cute!", I patted Maria's head and told her she can help anytime she likes. She looked at me with adoring eyes and went to join Eliwood and Caeda.

"That's all the orbs", Anna said, "Shall we head back?".

"Yeah, let's go", I said and then signaled to Caeda.

"Caeda, find Odin and Niles around here and tell them to go back to Askr Castle", I instructed.

"Of course, sir", and the pegasus knight flew off. I walked back to the castle with the new heroes in tow. " _This life is going to be very enjoyable",_ I thought to myself.

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 1: World of Mystery

A Summoner's Journey

Chapter 1: World of Mystery

Over the next few days, Anna and Alfonse taught me the facilities that were around here. The Training Tower that was west of the Askran castle can be used to train the heroes I summoned and the Arena east of the castle is used to battle teams of powerful heroes for rewards and ranking.

"On the top right of Askr here…", Alfonse pointed to a wide plain on the map, "...that's the "Special Map" courtyard".

"Creative name", I muttered to myself, "Makes it sound like a video game".

"The Special Maps allow you to activate a "Hero Battle" and fight against a team of fighters", Anna explained, "If you win the Hero Battle, the leader of the team will join you. Pretty cool, right?".

"That's cool, but how do I know what heroes we're going to fight?", I asked.

"The answer lies in our mail delivery service. Follow me", Anna led me out of the war room and brought me to the lobby, where an owl perched on a yellow pole was sleeping.

"Hey Hedwig, you got any new mail for us?", Anna called.

"Hoot!", the brown and white owl woke up and opened the mail bag on it's shoulder with its clawed feet.

"Hoot!", Hedwig took out three letters and a package and gave them to Anna.

"Whoa, that's more than we ever get", Anna said, shocked. She opened the package first and found two orbs in it.

"Oh hey cool! Free orbs!", Anna hugged the orb in her hand.

"Are those things rare?", I asked. "Oh yes, very rare!", Anna said, holding the orb carefully, as to not drop it, "You can only get them through the delivery service or by completing quests issued by the fountain over there".

"What fountain?", I looked behind me and saw a stone fountain with a koi fish spewing water out from it's mouth.

"Heh, you're saying that that fountain talks?", I scoffed, then I jumped back when an voice emitted from the fountain.

"Your quests for today are to defeat 5 cavalry foes level 20 or higher…", the fountain echoed.

"Level 20? This isn't a video game, Mr Fountain", I said.

"Oh yes, it iissss", the fountain paused, "Sort of". "What do you mean?", I asked. "Concentrate on the hero and then you can sseee their level and stats…", the fountain said.

"Uhh, okay", I focused on Anna for a while.

"Umm Lucian?", the axe fighter blushed, "Why are you staring at my face like that?".

"Mr Fountain told me to concentrate on you to see your "level and stats"", I said, still staring straight at Anna's body. Suddenly, I saw something different. In front of Anna, there was a stat screen. It showed that Anna was the "Commander" and she had two gray stars above her title and name. She had an Iron Axe and something called Night Sky in a slot with a purple symbol next to it. I focused on the tab that said, "Skill List" and found out what skills Anna had. She had a Steel Axe, Silver Axe, Noatun, Astra, Vantage and Spur Resistance.

"Hey Anna, are you seeing this?", I asked as I went back to her stat tab and checked her stats out.

"Oo, what's this?", Anna looked over my shoulder, checking her own stats and title.

"Wait a minute…", I shut off the stat screen by hitting the - icon on the top corner and went to find Eliwood. Eliwood was in the cafe nearby the castle, drinking a cup of tea and talking to Caeda.

"Hey Eliwood! Could you come over for a second?", I called and the red haired lord came over.

"Can I check you out for a sec? If you don't mind", I said.

"Wait, what do you mean by "check me out"?", Eliwood asked, but the stat screen was already up. Eliwood's title was Knight of Lycia and had four silver stars above his name and title.

"Okay, you're good", I said, waving off Eliwood, "Tell Caeda to come over". As Eliwood went back into the cafe, I scanned Eliwood's skills. He had an Iron Sword, Steel Sword, Silver Sword, Durandal, Holy Vestments, Sacred Cowl, Axebreaker and Ward Cavalry. I didn't have time to check over the skills before Caeda came over.

"What do you need me for Lucian?", the pegasus knight asked.

"Sorry if this sounds rude or perverted, but I need to concentrate on you for a sec", I said and began staring at her.

"Lucian, please…", Caeda began, but I cut her off when the stat screen popped up next to me.

"Okay, you're good! Thanks Caeda!", I thanked the princess of Talys and she went back into the cafe, confused. I checked Caeda's stats. Her title was Talys's Heart and had the same amount of stars as Eliwood did. On her skill list, she had Iron Sword, Steel Sword, Armorslayer, Armorslayer+, Rally Speed, Darting Blow and Fortify Fliers.

"So I'm guessing that the more stars a hero has, the better they are…", I said to myself, then went back to the castle to pen it down. On the way to my quarters, I found Niles and Odin in the mess hall, with Odin aweing the residents of the castle with his "incredible tales of bravery and valor", while Niles shook his head in denial beside him. I examined them and found out that Odin was a bronze three star while Niles was a silver four star, the same as Eliwood and Caeda. "At least he's better than Anna…", I muttered as I walked over to my room. I requested a piece of paper along with a pen and ink set from one of the maids passing by and she gave me the supplies I needed. I sat down on my maple wood desk and began to write.

 **Anna: Commander - Gray Two Star. Axewomen**

 **Eliwood: Knight of Lycia - Silver Four Star. Sword Cavalier**

 **Niles: Cruel to be Kind - Silver Four Star. Archer**

 **Odin: Potent Force - Bronze Three Star. Blue Mage**

 **Caeda: Talys's Heart - Silver Four Star. Sword Flier**

I paused, remembering that I summoned Maria three days ago. I needed to go find her. I went out of my quarters and found Maria hiding in a laundry basket, apparently playing hide and seek in with one of the maids.

"Maria, maybe you should hide somewhere else", I suggested, lifting the sheet she had over her head to expose her bright red hair, "These people might not spot you and put you in a poor man's closet!".

"Okay, I'll go hide somewhere else", the Cleric popped out of the basket, scaring a butler and made him slip and drop his laundry basket.

"But you have better not give me away!", and Maria ran out of the laundry room. I scrolled down Maria's stat screen beside me, noting that her title was Minerva's Sister and she was a four star cleric. On my way back to my quarters, I passed by Alfonse lecturing his sister on Askran history. I took a look at them for a second, then jotted down their titles and rarity on the memo pad I found on my desk. Later, I found Virion flirting with a group of Askran maids in the courtyard and wrote down his title and rarity as well.

 **Anna: Commander - Gray Two Star. Axewomen**

 **Eliwood: Knight of Lycia - Silver Four Star. Sword Cavalier**

 **Niles: Cruel to be Kind - Silver Four Star. Archer**

 **Odin: Potent Force - Bronze Three Star. Blue Mage**

 **Caeda: Talys's Heart - Silver Four Star. Sword Flier**

 **Maria: Minerva's Sister - Silver Four Star. Staff Cleric**

 **Alfonse: Prince of Askr - Gray Two Star. Swordsman**

 **Sharena: Princess of Askr - Gray Two Star. Lancewomen**

 **Virion: Elite Archer - Gray Two Star. Archer**

"Kinda disappointing that Alfonse, Sharena, Anna and Virion are all two stars", I muttered to myself as I updated the "Hero List", as I called it, "That means that Odin, Eliwood and Niles could do better they them in a fight". Speaking of Anna, I forgot to ask her what was in the other letters. I went down to the lobby and found three letters on the floor next to Hedwig's pole. I took them and opened them up. The first one was a postcard, stating that the "Nabata Prophet Sophia can be fought in the Special Maps". The second had a postcard depicting four heroes. Two of them wore similar blue uniforms, but one was male and the other was female. Both were wielding powerful-looking swords.

" _They must be siblings"_ , I thought. One of them had stark white hair, but it didn't make him look old at all. He wore a long black coat with purple markings on the sleeves and was wearing brown gloves. In his hand was a yellow tome with a white cross on the cover. The last hero depicted on the postcard was a young girl, perhaps only 6 at most. She had long light green hair tied in a ponytail with a pink ribbon. She had a large golden circlet on her forehead and was dressed in a pink and yellow tunic. She had strange pointed ears and in her hands was a glowing blue stone.

" _What a strange looking girl"_ , I thought, pulling out the postcard in the last letter. This one depicted four more heroes. On the right, clearly the focus was a purple haired woman with a cat ear-like accessory on her head. But her knockers were absolutely huge!

" _Holy Mother Mila!",_ I thought in my head and averted my eyes from such a toxic sight. Sure, her long purple hair and seductive smile may catch the attention of like, all the boys at my school, but I wasn't a fan of such large pieces of flesh attached to her chest. I focused on the three on the side, who all looked like they were edging away from the giant mass of twin watermelon. On the bottom was a short red haired man with blazing red hair and was wearing blue platemail armor along with a blue headband.

" _Oh, that's Roy"_ , I thought, " _Yeah, the resemblance between him and Eliwood is almost identical. I guess he doesn't take after Ninian"._ On the top was a girl very familiar to me. She had long dark green hair like fresh grass tied in a ponytail. She was wearing green nomadic robes and had long slender legs along with a white sword scabbard on her hip.

" _Lyn. Oh my god, she looks beautiful…",_ I thought, then looked at the last hero depicted on the banner. This one was a man with long gray hair tied in a ponytail by a red ribbon. He was wearing a blue and white tunic and had a very… prickly expression on his face. The expression that said,

"I'm going to find a flaw in you, no matter how perfect you are".

"So uhh, what's the point of these postcards?", I ask aloud.

"They allow you to summon these heroes more easily and at higher rarity", Anna said next to me.

I jumped several feet away, "Gods, Anna! You scared me there!".

"Sorry Lucian. Now as I was saying: those cards are imbued with magic so if you place them in a slot on the floor in the summoning ruins, you'll have an increased chance of summoning these heroes at a higher rarity. We like to call them, "focus heroes"", Anna explained.

"How do you know all this? Aren't I the only one who can wield the Breidablik?", I asked suspiciously.

"Let's just say that I read a lot", I could clearly tell that that was lie, judging by the sly smile on Anna's face, but decided to let the problem slide.

"Well, there are dates attached to these cards, so I assume there's a deadline to these events?", I pondered.

"Likely so. So I say we get some orbs quickly and pull some powerful heroes!", Anna advised.

"Alright, guess we'll do some quests issued by Mr Fountain to get some orbs…", I was about to go find my troops when Anna stopped me.

"Lucian, the quest fountain also rewards orbs for when we stop an attack on the Askr kingdom", Anna explained, "And I'd heard reports that Veronica and her Emblian army have seized the World of Mystery. We must head there and break the contract before it's too late!".

"Oh, you should've told me sooner!", I said, "Go find Eliwood, Niles and Odin and tell them to meet me in the lobby. Me, you and our three heroes are going to retake the World of Mystery!".

When we arrived in the World of Mystery, a man in a royal blue uniform was waiting for us.

"Marth! Thank Naga, I'm so glad to see you!", Caeda tackled the man in hug, but he pushed Caeda off.

"I am Marth, the prince of Altea", the man said politely, brushing the dust of his pants.

"Please don't tell me that he's been ensnared by Embla", Alfonse prayed.

"What's so good about Marth?", I asked, earning me a sharp glare from the prince.

"Marth is the legendary Hero King. He has won two full wars with no casualties and if he leads the attack against Askr, we're doomed!", Alfonse explained.

"Don't worry Alfy", Sharena said, grinning, "We got a legend on our side too. Lucian here!".

"So you're the Order of Heroes we've been hearing about", Marth said, looking the seven over,

"Princess Veronica told me quite a bit about you. I hope you know already about the contract that binds us. Heroes of a conquered country must obey their conqueror, but if you can prove yourself more powerful than us, then we'll be freed. That being said however…", Marth drew his Iron Sword, "We will not hesitate to fight our best. Fight strong and best of luck to all of you!", and the prince of Altea left to mobilize his troops.

"Wait, Marth!", Caeda called after him, but Anna held her back.

"In this alternate dimension, there is already a Caeda betrothed by Marth", Anna told the pegasus knight, "So he probably knows you're not the real one, since Veronica likely already filled him in on the info". Caeda sighed, her eyes filled with heartache and got back on her pegasus.

"So I guess we should march over and take the fight to them", I said.

"Lucian, you should know that you can only bring a total of four heroes per battle", Anna said to the summoner, "Therefore, you have to cut three of us out from the fights from here on out".

"That's a stupid rule", I scoffed, "What's stopping you from bringing three extra guys?".

"It's a video game rule. Get over it", Anna said, earning her a confused look from me, Alfonse and Sharena.

I sighed, "Fine then. If Anna says that it's a rule, then I'll abide by it, no matter how stupid it sounds. For the battles ahead, I'll bring Anna, Niles, Odin and Eliwood". Just as my four heroes came forward, Marth arrived with two people. One of them was a wrinkly old man wearing purple armor on a horse. His hair was white and donned a vibrant red cape. In his hand was an Iron Lance. The other looked exactly like Caeda, but was holding an Iron Sword instead of an Armorslayer.

"What the- Marth, who's that other women with you?!", Caeda cried, "And why does she look exactly like me?!".

"Wait, Marth?", the Caeda next to Marth asked her prince, "Why does that pegasus knight look exactly like me?".

"It's something Veronica described to me when she seized Altea castle", Marth said, "Royalty from Askr are able to close portals to another timeline or dimension while Embla can open them. But with the use of the Breidablik…", Marth pointed to the relic strapped to my waist, "... Askrians are able to pull heroes from another world to fight for them. And in the case with that, duplicates heroes are able to be summoned".

"It's certainly more confusing than anything we had to face", the old man said sagely, "But it's best not to think too hard and focus on the battles ahead".

"Okay then, let's fight then!", Caeda rose her Iron Sword, "Fight your hardest and good luck!". On cue, the old man charged on his horse. Alfonse and Sharena got behind me and Anna got in front, axe in hand. The horseman dove his lance downwards onto Anna, but she blocked and attacked back, smacking him away.

"Behold the unbelievable power of Odin Dark!", Odin shouted and his blue tome glowed white.

"ELTHUNDER!", he yelled and a twin bolt of lightning shot from the sky and crashed onto the old man.

"Jagen!", Marth shouted, but when the smoke cleared, Jagen was still standing, barely fazed from the attack.

"What the- Impossible!", Odin cried, "My attack did nothing!".

"Let me handle this, hot shot", Niles nocked his bow and brought Jagen down in one hit.

"Okay Odin, you get one more chance", I said and Odin beckoned forward, Elthunder in hand.

"That was just a trick!", Odin shouted, "My true power awakens! ELTHUNDER!". Odin blasted another thunderbolt, this time at Marth. The Hero King didn't have time to dodge and braced himself for the attack. The lightning bolt crashed onto Marth, but he walked out completely unscarred.

"Odin, you're not impressing me!", I threatened. "H-he must have higher resistance than we thought", Odin said nervously, "Let me attack the pegasus knight!". Odin cast his spell onto Caeda, who took the attack even better than Marth did.

"Odin, hit the bench", I said sternly and the Dark Mage of Nohr skulked off the battlefield.

"Niles, attack Caeda! Eliwood, attack Marth! Sharena, hurry up to assist Eliwood!", I commanded.

"Which Caeda?", Niles joked and my Caeda shot him a look of irritation.

"Just joking, relax", the outlaw gave a lazy smile, "I know how to work here". Meanwhile, Eliwood rode into action, swinging his Silver Sword downwards onto Marth. Marth parried the attack with his Iron Sword and Caeda flew up behind him. The princess of Talys lunged and stabbed Eliwood in the stomach, but the cavalier slammed his sword into her waist, then dashed back to get away. Niles snuck from behind and launched two arrows in quick succession from his Killer Bow, bringing Caeda down. He then aimed another at Marth and shot it, but this time, the arrow was glazed with ice.

"Chilling Wind!", he bellowed and the arrow crashed into Marth's chest, making the prince stagger backwards. Sharena rushed in for the finishing blow. Marth swung his sword downwards at Sharena, but the princess of Askr blocked the sword with her shield, then retaliated. Sharena stabbed her Iron Lance at Marth's chest and he dissolved into gold light, similar to what happened to Minerva and her allies. After the battle was over, Marth reappeared in flash of gold light.

"Well done. I've expected much of you", the Altean prince smiled, "But our battles are far from over. The next time we meet, we'll settle this once and for all", and Marth left the plains they were on.

"Good work everyone", I said as everyone gathered around, "Let's rest a while, then we'll continue on. I have to go talk to Odin".

Odin was sitting on the grass nearby a forest, fidgeting with his tome.

"Odin, explain yourself", I said as I walked up to him, "Why did like, all your attacks do nothing?".

"I swear milord, I don't know!", Odin held up his hands, "I was never like this! My strength is usually 10x more than it is right now!".

"Considering how much boasting you do, I'm not surprised by these results", I muttered, then looked at Odin's stat screen. I scanned down his stats until I saw his attack stat.

"10 attack Odin. 10 ATTACK", I pointed at the abysmal stat vigorously.

"Hey uh, maybe I'm like those Est archetypes", Odin stammered, "I know a villager in my world named Mozu. Started out weak, but became really really strong in the end!".

"First of all, how do you know about Est archetypes? And second of all, how are you guaranteed to become good in the end if you start this poorly?".

"Come on, all Ests are recorded in the history books!", Odin grinned, "You know, Est, Pelleas, Donnel, Zeiss, Nino and everyone else? Those are people that start out weak, but with enough training and determination, they become inhumanly strong!".

"More like babying and feeding them kills", I muttered, "But last time I remember, you're not one of those Est archetypes".

"Please, milord Lucian. Give me another chance to prove myself! I promise to train hard and do better", Odin pleaded.

"If your sorry excuse for an attack stat grows, then I might consider it", I said, checking his skill tab. I scrolled down and checked his skills. He had Blarblade, Blarblade+, New Moon, Moonbow, Defiant Attack and Red Tomebreaker.

"Hmm, you got some good skills for such a poor unit", I said.

"You wound me, milord", Odin sighed.

I stood up, "Fine, you'll get another chance. Prove to me that you're strong and I may forgive you. Now get up, we're moving to the next fight".

"Thank you, sire! You won't regret this!", and Odin ran off.

The next battles show satisfactory results for Odin. That means that he _sucked._ Eliwood is a bit frail, but he's fast on his horse and his Silver Sword gets him a lot of kills. Niles is a fine archer and was invaluable in the fight against the wind mage Merric and the light mage Linde. Caeda didn't hit as hard as the rest, but at least she was _fast._ The pegasus knight was darting around, slashing and stabbing at the enemy, weakening them for Alfonse and Anna to sneak behind and get the kill. Meanwhile, Odin failed to even dent our foes and didn't have to speed to dodge or double cast his Elthunder. Sometimes, he even got hit twice and dissolved into gold light. We had to go back to Askr castle to retrieve him. The only kills he got so far was against a muscular swordsman mercenary and a lance cavalier with green hair. Before we attacked Altea castle, I had to sit down with Odin again.

"Odin, you're seriously going to the bench if this continues", I growled as I checked his stats. Odin remained silent, looking at the ground in shame as I scrolled down his unimpressive stat table.

"You gained one speed, two defense and two points of HP in your two level ups you got", I said, "No attack gains. At all".

"M-maybe I need a better weapon", Odin pleaded desperately, "You saw that Blarblade tome, ""Adds total bonuses on unit to damage dealt". If I got some boosts in battle, then I'll totally wreck house with it!".

"It costs 200 skill points to buy", I was glad that I asked the fountain what SP was before heading out, "You have only 76 SP and it'll take some level ups to gain that much. And with that attack and speed, you're not going to kill much".

"Milord, I-", Odin began, but I cut him off.

"Clearly your stats don't use your skills to the greatest effect", I said sternly, "Head back to the castle. Maybe you can do better as a storywriter, given how much you told the maids today", and I left to join my comrades.

We found Marth in a small garden nearby Altea castle, with Caeda, Merric and a green haired archer next to him on a miniature island surrounded by a river. Four small bridges were built around the river to get around.

"You've done well to make it this far", Marth congratulated, "Clearly, you people are devoted to your cause for peace and that really speaks to my heart. You are kindred spirits and I wish to fight alongside you, but I and my allies must abide to the contract given to us until it's broken. Fight your best and I'll do the same!".

"Alright Caeda, fly over to that island and bring down that archer! Niles, go on the bridge and snipe Merric and Caeda. Eliwood, cross the bridge and try to draw them over to you! Sharena, follow behind Eliwood".

"You got it", Sharena said and took off down the bridge on their right.

"I'll protect you Sharena. Stay behind me!", Eliwood said valiantly and galloped across the bridge. Caeda flew to the corner Marth's island, careful of the green archer. Niles got onto the bridge and shot an arrow at Merric. The mage retaliated with a blast of Wind magic, but Niles wasn't fazed in the slightest. Marth's Caeda pulled back Merric and the green archer took his place, shooting an arrow from his Iron Bow at Niles.

"Gordin, watch out!", Marth shouted, but it was too late. My Caeda soared down and body slammed Gordin to the ground, making him vanish in yellow dust.

"You are not the real Caeda!", my Caeda shouted and lunged at Marth's Caeda, Armorslayer aimed at her chest. Marth's Caeda barely parried her sword with her own and countered. My Caeda blocked the shortsword coming at her and slammed her Armorslayer onto the other Caeda's leg, defeating her. When my Caeda came back with a bloody Armorslayer, she saw Eliwood and Sharena dueling with Marth. Marth leaped in the air and slammed his Iron Sword onto Eliwood, but the sword cavalier blocked with his Silver Sword and pushed the prince off. Sharena jumped from behind and skewered Marth through the waist. "You can't hide from me!", Niles barrel-rolled sideways through the air and sniped Marth with a ice cold arrow through the chest.

The Altean prince fell to his knees, "G-good job…", and he faded into gold dust.

After the battle was over, Marth reappeared in a flash of light, similar to our first encounter with him.

"You have proved our strength and I'm glad to say that it was enough to break our contract", Marth smiled warmly, "You have my thanks for freeing us from Veronica. I hope we can meet again sometime", and Marth walked off.

"So uhh, where can we get some of those contracts?", I asked Anna, "We defeated Marth in battle right? So does that make him our ally?".

"Let's just say that we pushed Marth into a neutral state", Anna said, "When he had the contract of Embla, he was forced onto Embla's side, but now that we broke it, Marth and his army is free to do as they wish. As Askrians, we cannot play by the same rules that Emblians do".

"How incredibly boring", a familiar voice hissed behind Anna.

"Princess Veronica!", Alfonse drew his sword, "What do you want now?".

Veronica sighed, as if she was bored, "After all the trouble I went through to ensnare Marth and the other pawns of our empire, you just had to go and free them. Whatever, I got more powerful forces behind me. If I want you dead, then they will oblige. And do I want that?".

"I'm pretty sure it's a no…", Sharena said with a worried look on her face.

"The answer is yes. I very much want you dead. Now you just wait here for me to summon them…", Veronica's luminous black and purple tome glowed with nefarious green light. Green portals began popping all around her, summoning Emblian soldiers and incredibly powerful heroes.

"We have to retreat! There's no way we can defeat Veronica now!", Anna shouted.

"Retreat! To the castle!", I yelled to my troops and they withdrew. Niles climbed onto Caeda's pegasus with her and soared off. Odin got onto Eliwood's horse and galloped away while me, Anna, Alfonse and Sharena ran on foot. Once we saw the portal in the distance, we ran straight towards it. As I was running to the portal, the Breidablik unclasped itself off my side somehow and dropped to the ground. Embla Cavaliers led by Xander were approaching fast and there was no way that I could pick up the holy relic without being skewered. Eliwood was using hit and run tactics to pick off the archers and mages and as galloped beside me, Odin dropped off the horse.

"Odin, what are you doing?!", both me and Eliwood shouted at the same time, but Odin ran towards the Breidablik on the ground.

"My darkness is darker than yours! ELTHUNDER!", Odin shouted and twin bolts of lightning shot out of his tome. The lightning didn't kill, but it sent a wave of paralysis through the Emblian Cavaliers.

"Lucian, catch this!", Odin picked up the Breidablik and threw it towards me. I caught it just as the cavaliers recovered from their shock.

"Odin, hurry!", I shouted, but faster than I could react, Xander rode forth and stabbed Odin through the arm with his Steel Sword.

"Odin, no!", I screamed as the cavaliers swarmed Odin, slashing and cutting. Eliwood grabbed my arm and pulled me through the portal. When we got through, I remembered what Anna told me about the royalty of Askr and the wielder of the Breidablik being able to close portals to other worlds. I shot the Breidablik at the portal to close it and ran away beside Eliwood. The last thoughts running through Odin's head before he died was: " _I was glad to serve you, our great summoner Lucian…"_

"Lucian, please don't worry. Odin will reappear at the castle", Eliwood said soothingly as to calm me down. I shivered, as the memory of Odin being in the center of the sea of blades, blood and gore raining from the sky still rang clear in my head.

"If I see him at the castle, I'm going to apologize to him", I said to Eliwood, but mostly to myself, "I didn't allow him to fight on the frontlines because he was too weak, but here we redeemed himself. He took it upon himself to jump in and save the Breidablik at the possible expense of his own life".

"Yes… for all his boasting, Odin is quite the noble man", Eliwood sheathed his Silver Sword, "Come on, get onto my horse Lucian. We can get to Askr castle faster that way".

"Alright", I got onto Eliwood's white horse and galloped off towards the approaching Askr castle. When we got to the lobby, Odin was waiting for us along with the others.

"Odin!", I ran towards him, "Thank Naga that you're alive!".

"Odin Dark never falls!", Odin said in his old dramatic way, "But I can admit now that my combat performance was pretty pitiful. I promise to train hard and prove myself good to you!".

"Good. Thank you Odin", I smiled.

The next few days were quiet. The spies didn't report any attacks on other worlds from Embla, so I took the time to grind a few orbs from the quests Mr Fountain issued. I also got a daily delivery of two orbs per day, along with a random item such as a Dueling Crest, a Stamina Potion and some Hero Feathers. Four days after the liberation of the World of Mystery, I went over to the summoning ruins at night. I took the Legendary Heroes postcard and Eliwood, Caeda and Maria offered to come with me to fend off enemies and also to watch me summon. Eliwood pushed the wheelbarrow holding 27 orbs while Maria rode on his horse, smiling and laughing.

"Wee! This is so much fun! Thank you, Lord Eliwood!", Maria squealed.

"Ha ha, anytime Maria", Eliwood laughed next to her, "Riding a horse is really fun, isn't it?".

"I love the cool breeze brushing past my face!", Maria exclaimed, "And the horse's fur is so soft and bushy. Reminds me of warm blanket freshly washed and dried in the sun".

"You can ride my pegasus if you want to", Caeda offered, "It's like being on a horse, but in the sky!".

"Yay!", Maria hugged Caeda's head, "When could we go?".

Caeda laughed, "Tomorrow morning, assuming Embla doesn't attack some other world".

"I really hope they given up", I said as I continued leading my three heroes down the torch-lit path towards the summoning ruins, "This is an incredible world, uniting the heroes of many worlds together. It's just so… nice to see all of us interact when we normally can't".

"It seems that me and you share the same beliefs", Eliwood smiled, "I want all of us to live in peace, to live life to the fullest and not have it cut short by bloody war".

"Though cliche, I must agree", I turned back and gave the lord as grin, "After seeing barbaric fighting and the threat of death for the first time, I can see why all the lords from Fire Emblem desire the same thing".

"Uhh, Lords don't come from the family crest of Bern…", Eliwood said nervously.

"Neither do they come from the Shield of Seals in Archanea…", Caeda said, a hint of concern in her voice, "What do you mean, Lucian?".

"Err, I meant to say… all the lords from other worlds and timelines desire the same goal for peace. I read it in a book once", I stammered, careful of my words next time.

"Yeah um, okay", Eliwood decided not to press the matter, "But it's good to know that so many else share the same dream that I do". The four continued walking until they found the summoning ruins. Torches lit by magical fire burned all around them, giving the ruins a mystical and otherworldly feel when mixed with the glowing lights of the orbs.

"Alright, time to summon. Eliwood, hand me five orbs", I said as I unhooked the Breidalbik and took the five orbs from Eliwood. I found a slot on floor near where I was standing and inserted the Legendary Heroes postcard into it, making the entire ruins shake with energy. I loaded the summoning gun and took aim at the blue orb. The Breidablik shook and the orb glowed with white energy. The light flared around the ruins like usual, but the light felt stronger and more powerful, if that makes any sense. When the light faded, I couldn't believe my eyes. Standing in front of me was a man, sporting an ebony black coat and astral-looking purple eyes lining the sleeves. Short and stark white hair covered his head and his eyes were golden yellow, like a feline. His hands were covered by brown gloves and in his right palm was a blue and gold tome with a golden raven on the cover. His entire body emitted a sparkling aura.

"Hello", the man's voice was silky and intelligent, "I'm Robin, the tactician of the Shepherds. Let me know if you need a battle plan".

"He's glowing. Is there something special about him?", Eliwood asked behind me. I examined Robin and opened his stats screen. When I saw how many stars he had, I nearly fainted from excitement. Five golden stars adorned his title as High Deliverer, meaning he was the most powerful form of Robin.

" _Wonder if there's a platinum six star rarity…"_ , I wondered as I lent out my hand to the tactician.

"Thank you Robin. My name is Lucian", I smiled, "I need a second strategist at my side during battle, so I'm glad you came".

"I'll be happy to help", Robin shook my hand, "But a small question: is my sister here?".

"Sister?", I asked, baffled. "Yeah, my twin sister Robin. She was named the same as me. She wears the same clothing as I do, but has two white pigtails in her hair", Robin said, scanning the ruins for anybody familiar.

"Sorry, your sister isn't here", I said, "But I'll do my best to reunite you two".

"Thank you very much. I promise to help you as much as I can", Robin said. I raised an eyebrow, "You're not surprised to be in this world?".

"Hey, I woke up in plenty of unknown worlds and universes before", Robin said that as if he done it everyday, "I've gotten pretty used to it, but my sister usually berates me about it when I come home in Ylisse".

"Uhh, do you have a nickname or something for your sister?", I asked, "Because if I manage to summon her like I did you, then I want something better than "Female Robin"".

Robin laughed, "I tease her by calling her Robinne or Robette at home, but others started to pick up on it and she accepted it. So yeah, feel free to call her Robinne to distinguish us".

"Wonderful. Thanks Robin. You can go join Eliwood, Caeda and Maria behind me. I still have 21 orbs to burn through", and I loaded the gun, this time aiming at a red orb.

"Cover your eyes. I got something big", I said as the searing light flared around the ruins. When the flash faded, a saw a girl with long pink hair tied up in a white headband lined by gold triangle patterns. Describing her outfit would be hard, considering she was honestly wearing nothing but her bra and underwear, like she was going to the beach.

"Umm…", I blushed and immediately looked away. Robin did the same and so did Eliwood.

"Err, I'm sorry…", the girl's voice was small and barely audible, "I-I'm Olivia, a travelling dancer. A-and I'm pretty sure my skills will be useful. Maybe?". I uncovered my eyes and shook the young dancer's hand, trying not to focus on what was below her neck.

"Good to have you here Olivia", I said, "So what can you do as a dancer?".

"M-my dances refresh allies!", Olivia said, "My dancing makes people feel fresh and limber again, according to people who saw me dance. A-also I'm pretty good with a blade". Olivia drew her Silver Sword, but immediately dropped it afterwards.

"Yes… "pretty good with a blade"", I replied dryly.

"S-sorry, I'm a little clumsy", Olivia stammered, picking up her sword and holding it gently as she put it back in her scabbard, "I-I hope that it won't be a problem for you…".

"No, no, it's fine", I said as I grabbed four more orbs from the wheelbarrow, "Join the others behind me and when we get back to the castle, could you umm…". I looked at Caeda, silently urging her to finish the sentence for me.

"Maybe when we go back to the castle, you should get a more modest outfit", Caeda said, "Not to criticize your style, but I think that outfit is going to invite all the nasty suitors and heroes to your room by the marrow".

"S-sorry", Olivia's face went bright red with embarrassment, "I'll change as soon as I go there".

"Alright, good to know. Let's continue summoning", I aimed at a green orb this time and summoned a little girl with short green hair.

"Another child?", I muttered to the sky, "Seriously?".

"I'm Nino, a member of the Black Fang!", the girl introduced herself, "Well… I used to be one. Nowadays, I'm just a regular ol' mage".

"Nice to meet you Nino. My name is Lucian", I bent down with my knees and ruffled Nino's hair.

"Hehe, nice to meet you too Lucian", Nino giggled, "So what can I do for you? You brought me here for a reason right?".

"Wait, what were you doing before I summoned you?", I asked the young mage.

"Well, I was going to bed with my boyfriend Jaffar in my home in Pharae and when I woke up, boom. I was here", Nino said, her blue eyes looking up at me with sadness, "Is Jaffar here with you?".

"Sorry Nino, but Jaffar isn't here right now", I said, "But I promise to do my best to summon him and reunite you two. I think you two are very cute together".

"Thanks Lucian", Nino smiled and went to join Eliwood and Robin behind me.

"Hi Lord Eliwood!", Nino waved excitingly, "Where's Lady Lyn and Lord Hector?".

"Lucian didn't summon them yet", Eliwood replied, "Last time I saw them, Hector headed back to Ostia with Lyn to get married. I went back to Pharae with Ninian to plan our wedding".

"What happened after?", Nino asked curiously, "Last time I saw you, you told me that you'll protect me and Jaffar from bounty hunters when we settled down in Pharae".

"The night after the battle with Nergal, I went to bed with Ninian and when I woke up, I was here, fully clothed, atop my horse and with a Silver Sword on my side", Eliwood said.

"That's weird", Nino gazed around the ruins with her sparkling blue eyes, "Hopefully, Lucian will be able to summon Ninian, Lyn, Hector and Jaffar!".

"Speaking of Lyn guys…", I said as I rested my eyes on the green haired swordswomen wearing long nomadic robes and tall brown boots. Her hands were covered by black fingerless gloves and in her right palm was the hilt of a long, curved and golden sword. She was glowing the same as Robin was.

"Wow, I'm pretty lucky today!", I grinned, "Maybe I should go and buy some lottery tickets when I get home".

"I'm Lyndis of the noble house of Caelin, but truly, I belong on the plains of Sacae", Lyn's voice was soft, but was still determined, "Just call me Lyn, alright?".

"Alright, nice to meet you Lyn", I shook the swordswomen's hand, "Thank you for joining us. Eliwood is here too".

"Oh, Eliwood?", Lyn looked behind me and saw the red haired lord waving at her.

"Eliwood! You're here too?", Lyn ran towards the cavalier, "But where's Ninian? Where's Hector and Florina?".

"I'm afraid Lucian didn't summon them yet", Eliwood said, "I promise to fill you and Nino in when we get back to the castle".

"Okay, thanks Eliwood", Lyn smiled, "Frankly, I'm confused on where I am and how I got here, so it's nice to have one of my close friends explain it to me".

"Last red orb guys", I said as I took 3 orbs from the container and took aim at the wall, "Pray that I get someone like Roy or Marth". I pressed the trigger and shot at the red orb on the wall. When the usual flare faded, I saw a tall muscular man with blue and black armor, along with a ragged white cape. On his left shoulder was a faint red mark, like some kind of brand.

"I'm Chrom, leader of the Shepherds and prince of the halidom of Ylisse", the man introduced himself, "For my friends… for peace… I'll fight".

"Hey Chrom!", Robin waved from the back.

"Oh, thank Naga that you're here too Robin!", Chrom said, "When I woke here, I was afraid that I wouldn't find any of my friends here".

"Caeda said that she'll explain it to us when we get back", Robin assured, "So don't panic too much. I'm here".

"Thanks", Chrom smiled, "But did you see Sumia or Lucina here?".

"Sadly no", Robin replied, "Lucian didn't summon them yet".

"Ah…", Chrom's expression faltered, "I hope they are alright".

"Both Sumia and Lucina can take care of themselves", Robin said, "Don't worry. Just be patient and wait for Lucian to summon them".

"Alright fine", Chrom sighed, "Lucian, please try to summon them quick. I worry for them and the kingdom of Ylisse".

"I'll do my best", I said, "There is no guarantee that I can, but I'll do what I can".

"Thank you Lucian", Chrom shook my hand and went to join Robin. "Alright guys, that's all the summoning I can do for today", I said as I faced my new heroes, "Chrom, you're pretty strong. Bring the wheelbarrow back to the castle".

"Yes sir", Chrom sheathed his Silver Sword and took the wheelbarrow. When we got back, one the heroes I summoned, Matthew reported that Embla was making their advance on the World of Conquest. I summoned Robin, Lyn, Nino and Niles to the lobby and told them to get some early rest. The next day, they'll be the raiding the World of Conquest.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 2: World of Conquest

A Summoner's Journey

Chapter 2: World of Conquest

 **Current Heroes:** _Alfonse, Sharena, Anna, Virion, Eliwood, Caeda, Niles, Maria, Odin, Robin, Lyn, Chrom, Nino and Olivia_

"World of Conquest huh? Sounds familiar", Chrom said as Robin double checked that he had all his gear on.

"Hah, sounds like the place Walhart would like", Robin laughed, "A place of endless battle and fighting. Quite the rush".

"If what you say is true, then you might pop up in a middle of a bloody battlefield", Chrom advised, "So be careful Robin".

The tactician smiled, "Don't worry, I got this".

I met with Robin, Lyn, Nino and Niles down at the portal courtyard.

"Alright guys, today we're liberating the World of Conquest from Embla's rule", I said, pointing at the swirling purple portal beside me, "According to Anna, the World of Conquest is famous for their mounted knights, so be careful to not get trampled".

"Great. I was thankful to come into this world, but here I am, going back to that hellhole", Niles muttered.

"What's wrong with the World of Conquest?", Nino asked politely.

Niles scowled, "A dark and depressing place. Full of thieves and brigands and has the worst king you could ever imagine".

"What was the king like?", Lyn wondered aloud. "The dude spent his entire day watching dancers at the opera house", Niles explained, "Also, he had more than 20 children".

"Wait, WHAT?!", Robin took a step back, utterly shocked, "Is that really how the king's like?".

"I'm not the right source to ask if you want to pleasure yourself with that info", Niles looked like he said stuff like that everyday, "Anyways, shouldn't we be going? The sooner we go, the faster we can come back here".

I sighed, "Alright then. Everyone, follow me".

We tumbled through the portal and ended up in a dark plain separated by a black river. The pale white moon shone underneath us, but the entire place was as dark as night.

"So you have come to battle us?", a familiar voice spoke through the dark.

"Who's there? Show yourself!", I shouted back.

Lyn squinted, "It's man dressed in black armor and has blond hair. He's on a horse and is wielding a Steel Sword".

I looked back at Lyn, impressed, "How can you see that far?".

"On the plains of Sacae, my tribe was often attacked by bandits at night. We since learned how to see in the dark", the nomad smiled at the thought of her homeland.

"That's so cool! Can you see anybody else?", Nino asked.

Lyn gazed around us and reported that there was a small blond girl on a horse, a short blond haired man on a horse with a tome and a purple haired women on a dragon with an axe.

"We know who you are! Show yourselves and fight us!", I shouted. Torches lit all around us, showing exactly who Lyn saw.

"This is the second time you face my blade, but this time, you're in my home turf", Xander slowly galloped forward, his sword at his side, "All of us are bound by contract, but I am bound in another way- a certain loneliness in her eyes".

"Come on, and you can excuse that she's trying to take over the Askr kingdom without permission?", I countered.

"I have seen such things already", Xander's expression was steely cold, "She reminds me of one of my siblings, who was raised in a joyless and lonely fortress for many years".

"That's terrible…", Nino sniffed, "Nobody should live their childhood without family and friends…".

"Perhaps you can understand why I can't turn my sword on her", Xander continued, "Or perhaps you do not, but either way, I must stop you. Camilla, Elise and Leo! The time to fight is now!".

"You're not even on my level. Flux!", Leo's tome glowed purple and a cloud of dark gas expelled from the cover.

"Gronnblade!", Nino shouted and a shower of green energy blades rained from the sky. Leo's Flux clouded smashed through each blade and bashed her in the face, knocking her to the ground.

"Nino!", I cried.

"Blarraven!", Robin called and a huge flock of blue spirit birds flew out from Robin's tome and swarmed Leo, knocking him off his horse and making him evaporate in light.

"There was something in my world that may apply here", Robin said, "The Weapon Triangle".

"Oh yeah! Swords beat axes, lances beat swords and axes beat lances", I recalled.

"Yeah, I think the same theory applies here", Robin said as he cast Blarraven onto Elise, who was healing Camilla after Niles shot her, "It looks like dark and fire magic are red tomes and since Nino's a green mage, she has a disadvantage against Leo!".

"This is why I have you as my strategist", I smiled, "So dark and fire are red, wind is green and thunder is blue?".

"That seems to be the case, since Odin's a blue mage and Leo's a red mage", Robin said as he defeated Xander in a single hit, "I'll have to study it when we get back".

Meanwhile, Lyn slashed her Sol Katti onto Camilla's waist and brought her down.

"Mother Earth woman, get a better outfit", Lyn said as she cleaned her sword with a rag.

"You're one to talk, with you exposing so much of your legs", Niles commented with a smirk.

"Hey, these are traditional nomadic robes!", Lyn countered, "At least I'm not riding into battle looking like some kind of… uhh, what's the word?".

"Whore?", Niles snickered, which earned him a smack on the back by Robin, "Oww!".

"Nino's here!", Robin reminded the archer, "Don't speak such dirty or crass stuff".

"Alright, alright jeez…", Niles muttered, "Those children are going to learn those words anyways, so why try so hard to stop them?".

"Because I don't want them be you", Robin said, "I want them to be bright, happy and have strong bonds with many people".

"Oh? What kind of bonds?", Niles leaned in closer to Robin, "The friendship ones or the really good and passionate ones? The one that makes them scream at night".

"Niles, shove off", Robin pushed the outlaw on the shoulder, "I'm not implying that they are having… you know".

"Alright guys, let's stop talking about this", Lyn sheathed her sword, "Niles is going to poison me if he talks any longer".

The next couple fights were generally easy. We found Elise in a fortress along with a pink armor knight and an axe fighter that looks like a superhero. After, we found Leo in a dark forest with Odin and Niles alongside him.

"Heelllooo handsome…", the other Niles began, but my Niles shot him with his bow and went away.

"Robin! Robin, I need help!", Nino cried.

"Nino, what's wrong?!", Robin shouted back. Nino came running out from the dark trees "There's this scary man in a yellow and black outfit!"

Robin nodded as Nino continued, "And he said he had 10x the amount of power I had! I'm afraid to fight him…".

"Don't worry Nino. I'll come with you", Robin readied his tome when Odin sprang from the trees in front of them,

"I have sprung into action! Fear me, for my name is Odin Dark!".

"Eeeekkkk!", Nino screamed in fear and hid behind Robin.

"Take this, scum! Thunder!", Odin cast a bolt of lightning from his tome. The magic crashed onto Robin and the tactician didn't have a single scratch on him.

"Uhh, Nino?", Robin called, "This guy's a pushover. You can fight him no problem".

Nino came from behind Robin and cast Gronnblade twice onto Odin, bringing him down no problem.

"Oh, uhh…", Nino blushed, "I guess he wasn't as strong as he said".

"Trust me, Odin boasts a lot in the castle", Robin said, "I challenged him to a magic duel to test his abilities and well… his magic wasn't really strong".

"He does have a flair for drama though", Nino said, "Maybe he can become an actor later!".

"Odin would make a great actor, for how much boasting and acting he does", Robin replied, noting in his mind to tell Odin that when he gets back to Askr.

"Watch this!", Lyn swung down with her Sol Katti onto Leo, but the dark knight dodged and cast Flux onto Lyn.

"Nope!", Niles leaped out from the trees and shot Leo in the back before he could cast his magic.

"Now I got you!", Lyn's sword glowed bright blue and she leaped into the air, slashing Leo three times before spinning around and delivering one final slice with her sword, making the prince of Nohr dissolve into light. After an happy comment about their victory from Nino, the group continued on. They fought Camilla along with her retainers, Selena and Beruka in a giant lava field. There was also a random Embla lance flier with them. Robin took down Selena and Niles destroyed the fliers. Easy fight, continue on. We arrived in a large arena, with a dark blue floor and torches lit around us. Moonlight shone through the open ceiling.

"How intriguing. You managed to battle through all my siblings and retainers", Xander said on the other side of the arena, "Princess Veronica said that the Order of Heroes had the advantage of a legendary summoner. Clearly, this is true fact. Still though, we'll stop at nothing to defeat you. Laslow? Peri? Let's show them how Embla REALLY fights!".

"Right away, milord!", Laslow sheathed his sword and danced on the spot.

"What is he doing?", Robin asked, "W-why is he dancing in a fight?". When Laslow finished dancing, Xander rushed forward, inhumanly faster than he ever was before.

"Holy Mother Naga!", Robin cried as Xander thrust his Steel Sword down at the tactician. Robin staggered back, then launched a cloud of ravens from his tome. The pink and blue haired cavalier, Peri jumped in front of Xander and absorbed the blow well.

"Gronnblade!", a shower of wind swords rained from the sky. One of them impaled Peri through the chest and made her dissolve. Another hit Xander and Laslow, although both of them took the hit just fine. Two of them stabbed through an Emblian troubadour and took her down.

"Foolish!", Xander deflected an arrow from Niles and galloped towards Nino. The Nohrian prince bashed her in the side with his horse, sending her to the wall.

"Blarraven!", Robin conjured a swarm of ravens struck Xander from behind, knocked him out. Laslow dashed forward, Iron Sword in hand and dueled with Lyn. Lyn swung at Laslow's chest, leaving a large swath of fire. Laslow staggered back, his clothes ripped from the attack and swung at Lyn's leg, making her fall onto the ground. Laslow jumped and dove down with his sword at Lyn. The swordswoman raised her Sol Katti and blocked the strike.

"Robin! Help me!", Lyn shouted. Robin opened his tome, which blazed with fiery light, "Glowing Ember!". He then shot his magic and a swarm of blue spirit ravens burning with fire attacked Laslow, smacking him off Lyn. The ravens swarmed the swordsman for a second, then they flew away and evaporated into the air. Xander was finished. The battle was won.

"Phew, that was a tough one", Robin brushed the sweat off his brow as he put the Blarraven into a pocket in his coat.

"Embla's power is huge. We have to train hard and surpass them if we want to win", Lyn sheathed her Sol Katti, then looked around, "Where's Nino?!".

"Nino was unfortunately defeated by Xander", I said, "Don't worry though, she'll appear back in the Askr castle lobby".

Lyn glared at me, "That better happen because if she's dead, I'll- Mmmph!". Lyn didn't get to finish her sentence as Robin covered her mouth with his hand.

"I trust your word Lucian", Robin gave me an approving smile, "And Lyn should too".

"Mmmph!", Lyn growled under Robin's hand.

"I think she's saying "If you don't release me soon, I'll chop your hand off", Niles snickered. Robin let go of Lyn's mouth and she gasped for breath.

"I swear the Father Sky, your glove smells like horse poop!", Lyn wiped her mouth, "Know that I don't like being touched like that".

"Oh, so you were taken hostage a lot back in your world?", Niles asked. A wild shade of red covered Lyn's face, "Don't you dare do it to me".

"Oh, I promise milady. I promise not to take your hostage and have some fun with you…",

"SHUT… UP… NILES".

I laughed, "Oh my god, you guys are hilarious. Anyways, we cleared the World of Conquest, so we should head home now". Before we left the arena however, Xander reappeared.

"You fought well. I admit defeat", the prince said, "Those of the World of Conquest will not be compelled to fight you or invade the Askran kingdom, as the contract is broken. However…".

"However…", I gestured "go on" with my hand.

"However, I'm staying at Princess Veronica side", Xander said, "Next time we meet, I'll defeat you", and Xander left the arena.

Theme: Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia - With Pride in Your Heart  watch?v=PhGf58tC290

"Mission successful!", I said as me and my three heroes strolled into the castle lobby. The bright sunlight shining through the window were a lifesaver compared to the gloomy darkness of the World of Conquest.

"Oh good. Nino appeared in the lobby and I was afraid that you were having trouble", Anna said. I told Anna, Alfonse and Sharena everything that happened in the the World of Conquest while Robin, Lyn and Niles went to the cafe next door for a drink.

"How could a hero like Xander stay loyal to Veronica and the Emblian Empire?", Sharena asked.

"There are heroes who help our kingdom by their own free will", Alfonse reminded his sister, "So maybe Xander sees something in Veronica which makes him stay loyal to her".

"I can't imagine anything redeemable about Veronica", Sharena said, "Maybe Xander is under some kind of spell or something…".

"Either way, heroes do it only for their own goals or loyalty. They are NOT friends", Alfonse said sternly.

I raised an eyebrow, "You say as if it's impossible to befriend heroes. I'm already close with Robin and Lyn".

"They are only our allies", Alfonse said with the same tone, "Don't get close to them".

Sharena giggled, "Oh don't be such a sour puss Alfy. You think that only because you were close with THAT one hero and he left to go home, leaving behind a bag of Hero Feathers".

"Which hero was it?", I asked. Sharena began to respond, but Alfonse cut her off.

"Enough of this talk. We have to remain vigilant of another attack from Embla", and Alfonse left the lobby.

"Is something wrong with Prince Alfonse? He seems sad", Eliwood said behind me.

"Alfonse was close friends with a hero back then and one day, that hero left him. I think Alfonse may have felt betrayed by it", I explained, "That's why he refused to get close to any of the heroes here and only opens up to me, Sharena and Anna".

"That's sad. I wish I could help", Eliwood said sorrowfully, "But I think I'm not the right person to confront him, considering that I'm a "hero". You should do it Lucian".

"Oh trust me, I'm terrible at giving emotional therapy", I shrugged, "I might not be the right person for the job".

"I have no idea what therapy means, but I think you are the right man for it", Eliwood encouraged, "You and Alfonse have grown close like brothers over the last few days. You and Sharena should talk to him about it".

"I'm go talk to him alone. Alfonse likely already talked this a lot with Sharena", I said, turning to the direction Alfonse went, "Thanks Eliwood. I'll go find him now".

"Good luck", Eliwood said as I dashed towards the western hallway.

I found Alfonse alone in the training yard outside the west corridor, hacking away at a training dummy with his sword.

"Hey Alfonse! Can I talk to you for a sec?", I called.

"If you want to check my "stats" like you did with Eliwood, I'm a little busy right now", Alfonse responded.

"No, I just need to talk to you about something", I said, "Come, join me on the bench". Alfonse stabbed the dummy through the stomach and sheathed his sword. The prince walked over to where I was and sat down.

"So I heard that you were friends with a hero back then", I began. Alfonse began to rise from the bench, but I pulled him down.

"Tell me who the hero was", I urged.

"I don't want to talk about it", Alfonse growled, "Leave me or talk about something other than that".

"Alfonse, I don't know much about emotional therapy, but I do know that telling the problem to someone else is the best way to get rid of it".

Alfonse sighed, "Is that your world's solution when someone had emotional problems?".

"Hah, I would think you'll do the same here", I smiled, "But come on, let the issue off your chest. At least tell me who the hero was".

"The hero was Marth", Alfonse said, which made me gasp, "We earned his favor while fighting in the World of Mystery and he joined us out of loyalty and respect".

"And what happened after?", I asked.

"I grew close to Marth. Both of us had the same ideals and dreams for the world, but one day…", Alfonse continued, "...one day he disappeared unexpectedly. When I went to check the barracks that morning for him, all I found was a pile of glowing Hero Feathers". I remained silent as Alfonse continued.

"I felt betrayed, as if Marth didn't care for me as much as I did", Alfonse's voice was strained with sorrow and pain, "Gaining respect from the legendary Hero King is such an honor and seeing him leave without any word to me or Anna allows me to see another side of him: a cold and ruthless man".

"Alfonse, I'm sure that-", I began, but Alfonse cut me off.

"I know that I don't have evidence for his disappearance and it might sound selfish…", Alfonse said, "But ever since that incident, I refused to befriend any hero, as they may pull the same stunt as Marth did and leave me when I least expect it". I remained silent, not knowing what to say to comfort my friend.

" _Should of brought Robin, Eliwood or Caeda. They'll be much better at giving advice than I am"_ , I thought.

"W-well, I'm sure he had his reasons", I said, "Maybe they were urgent and he had to leave before telling you".

"If he had to leave, then why didn't he leave a note?", Alfonse asked, "He left without warning. End of story".

"Did talking about it at least ease your pain?", I asked.

Alfonse gave me a weary smile, "A little. Now are we done talking? I got training to do".

"Ha ha, of course. You may continue with your training. I'll go and claim my orbs by Mr Fountain" I said, laughing. I left the training yard and visited the quest fountain in the lobby.

"Well done. You have successfully liberated the World of Conquest on the Normal difficulty", the fountain said and five luminous orbs glowed at the bottom of the fountain.

"Wait, hold on", I said, "There's difficulty settings here?".

"Oh yes. Shooting the Breidablik at the world portal with a Hard or Lunatic difficulty card increases the hero's power in the world", the fountain echoed, "Liberating the world on higher difficulty awards more orbs".

"Well, I like summoning, so let's do it!", I exclaimed, "Where do I get these difficulty cards?".

"Look at the bottom of the fountain", the fountain said and I looked down next to the orbs in the well. Two metal cards were sitting next to the orbs in the fountain. One of them was red and had a large yellow H in the middle on both sides. The other was purple and had a golden L on each side as well.

"Oh! Thanks Mr Fountain!", I picked up the orbs and cards and brought them up to my quarters. I deposited the three orbs in a chest near my bed and took the two difficulty cards.

"Let's try these out", I said and went back to the lobby.

I found Robin and Niles in the game room. Robin was playing chess with Virion and Niles was watching them while eating some spaghetti.

"Robin, Niles, we got a new mission", I said, holding up the Hard difficulty card.

"What's going on Lucian?", Robin asked as he picked up a black chess piece and went over Virion's white piece, earning a frustrated growl from the archer.

"I received two difficulty cards from the fountain in the lobby", I explained, "By inserting them into my summoning gun, I can make the heroes in that world stronger".

"That sounds more dangerous than whatever it's worth", Niles said as he put another forkful of spaghetti into his mouth, "Do you get anything from raising the difficulty?".

"Niles, speak when your mouth's clear", Robin chided, "I can see the spaghetti in your mouth".

"Mr Fountain said that he'll reward more orbs for liberating the world on a higher difficulty", I said, "And more orbs means more heroes, so let's go".

"Alright, me and Niles will meet you in the lobby. Lyn and Nino are outside, enjoying the breeze", Robin checkmated Virion and got up from his chair. Niles finished his food and followed Robin out from the game room. Outside, Lyn, Nino and Eliwood were lying on the grass, relaxing in the sunlight and cool wind.

"Lyn, Nino! There's a new mission!", I called.

"Ugh, what is it now Lucian?", Lyn asked and Nino got up and rubbed her eyes, "Me, Eliwood and Nino were about to take a nap in the grass". I explained the situation with the difficulty cards and the orbs we could get.

"Could we do it next time? We're really tired from the last fight", Lyn said.

"The more orbs I get, the faster I can get Hector, Ninian and Jaffar", I said, "So unless you DON'T want your husbando here…".

"Oh, you cheeky little dastard", Lyn got up and pulled the Sol Katti out from the ground, "Fine, I'll accompany you. Are you coming with me Nino?".

"S-sorry. I'm still a bit sore from the fight with Xander", Nino held her side in pain, "I can't you with you Lucian. I'm sorry".

"It's alright Nino", I smiled, "Eliwood, do you want to go along?".

"If you need me, then I'll do my hardest", Eliwood got up and onto his horse, "Are we leaving now?".

"Yes we are. Niles and Robin are already waiting in the lobby. Get ready in five minutes and meet me there", I said and went to the portal courtyard.

"Okay, so how do I work this thing?", I looked all around the Breidablik, trying to find the slot to fit the difficulty card.

"The slot's on the bottom of the barrel Lucian!", the fountain echoed from the lobby, scarring Olivia, who was performing a dance for Caeda and Maria. I checked the bottom of the Breidablik and found a slot exactly the size needed to fit the card. I slid the red card in and the entire summoning gun glowed with red light. I took aim at the portal to the World of Mystery and pressed the trigger. A pulse of red energy shot from the Breidablik and the entire portal was recoloured bright red instead of swirling blue.

"Alright guys, it's time to go!", I called into the lobby. Robin came first, then Lyn, then Niles and finally Eliwood.

"Okay, now it looks a bit scary", Eliwood said, "Is it okay if I back out?".

Lyn slapped Eliwood on the back, "Come on Eli. You faced Nergal, the Fire Dragon and endured the death of your father and Ninian. A little stronger enemies won't be too bad".

Eliwood sighed and drew his Silver Sword, "Fine. I'm ready when you guys are". We all jumped through the crimson gateway and landed in the same area where we met Jagen, Marth and Caeda. They looked to be real, but none of them said a single word.

"Uhh, hello?", I called. The silence was eerie. Jagen charged full sprint at us, Steel Lance in hand. Eliwood galloped in front of me and blocked the lance with his sword.

"Maybe the difficulty setting just simulates our fights before and makes them harder", Robin speculated, "Which explains why the enemy heroes aren't saying anything". Eliwood pushed Jagen back with his blade and slashed at his waist. Lyn charged from the side and finished Jagen off with a swift slice to the head. Robin summoned a flock of ravens with Blarraven and took down Marth. Niles shot an arrow at Caeda and brought her down, but the archer sustained a gaping cut wound in the process. The next fight after, Niles got defeated by an Emblian sword fighter while attempting to shoot at it. Robin clipped it with his magic and the four moved on. In the desert, Lyn was destroyed by a swift Elthunder from Linde. Robin nearly got defeated as well, but Eliwood sneak attacked her and brought the blue mage down. With only two heroes left to fight, we had to go back to Askr and retrieve them. Both Niles and Lyn were too sore from the fighting to continue on, so I have to go grab Maria and Anna to substitute for them. Back in the World of Mystery, we fought two cavaliers, an archer and a Emblian flier. Robin took care of the sword cavalier and archer, Eliwood took the axe flier and Anna attacked the lance cavalier with Maria healing them if necessary. Simple, fast and easy. In the same garden where we fought Marth, Robin's ranged magic damage really helped. Eliwood galloped over the river and shivved Merric though the chest. Robin destroyed Marth, Caeda and Gordin with his tome, which somehow allowed him to duel archers no problem. We came back to Askr, tired and battered.

"Good job. You have liberated the World of Mystery on the Hard difficulty", the fountain glowed and five more orbs appeared in the fountain.

"Fine work today, guys", I said, facing my heroes, "We have cleared the World of Conquest and liberated the World of Mystery on the Hard difficulty. The fountain rewarded me with 10 orbs total, so given more time, I'll be able to summon more heroes!". Everyone cheered.

"You are dismissed. Good night everyone!", I said and headed upstairs to my bedroom. I took off my robe and boots and put them in the laundry basket beside my quarters to get washed. I grabbed some nightclothes from my closet and went to go take a shower. Before heading to bed, I deposited my orbs into my orbs chest and went to update my Hero List.

" _17 orbs now. Only three more for a full summon session_ " _,_ I thought as I sat down at my desk. My lamp burned with magic fire, fire that can never spread nor burn anything. This one was modified to only provide heat and light. I took my quill and updated the list.

 **Robin: High Deliverer - Gold Five Star. Blue Mage**

 **Lyn: Lady of the Plains - Gold Five Star. Swordswoman**

 **Chrom: Exalted Prince - Silver Four Star. Swordsman**

 **Nino: Pious Mage - Silver Four Star. Green Mage**

 **Olivia: Blushed Beauty - Silver Four Star. Sword Dancer**

"Guess that ends the day", I said as I dried the quill pen with a rag and left it on the desk. I climbed into my bed and pulled the warm covers over me. Before I knew it, I feel into a deep sleep, exhausted from the long and hard battles.

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 3: World of Binding

A Summoner's Journey

Chapter 3: World of Binding

 _Current heroes: Alfonse, Sharena, Anna, Robin, Chrom, Lyn, Maria, Niles, Eliwood, Odin, Virion, Olivia, Nino and Caeda._

 **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

"Lucian, get up! We have an emergency!", Anna and Lyn's voice rang from behind the door.

"Ugh.. what's wrong…?", I groggily get up from my bed and bask in the sunlight coming from my window.

 **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

"You can come in!", I called and Anna opened the door, with Lyn behind her, fully dressed in her usual robes.

"Lucian, spies report that Embla is attacking the World of Binding", Anna reported, "We have to mobilize our heroes before going to liberate it".

"Wait… is the leader of the World of Binding Roy?", I asked.

"I'm afraid so. Roy led an entire army against the invading Bern kingdom and managed to win the war with no casualties. I'd say that he matches you when it comes to strategy", Anna remarked.

"It'll be a tough fight then. I'll need strong heroes to fight with me".

"I'll volunteer", Lyn said, "I heard that the World of Binding is my world in the future. I want to see how much it has changed".

"Alright, so Lyn's coming", I smiled at the lovely swordswoman, "Robin is a must and Nino wouldn't be a bad choice".

"Don't bring Niles this time", Lyn said sternly, "He's just so… dirty minded".

"Niles has fought hard in the World of Mystery and World of Conquest. I think he deserves a break this time", I said, "So Niles isn't going. That leaves Chrom, Maria, Olivia and Caeda as our potential options".

"What about me, Sharena or Alfonse?", Anna asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice, "What's wrong with bringing us?".

"Okay, to be brutally honest, you three serve better as the teachers of Zenith instead of fighting", I blurted.

Anna gasped in shock, "What?!".

"I noticed that the star rarity determines a hero's power", I explained, "Alfonse, Sharena and you are two gray stars while Lyn and Robin are five golden stars. See the difference?".

"Wow, you're pretty forceful with your words", Anna said sarcastically, "Makes it seem like we're nothing to you".

"Huh?! Don't think like that!", I cried, "You, Alfonse and Sharena were lifesavers when I came here. I wouldn't get my grasp on it without you".

"Then bring us into the fight and we'll prove ourselves", Anna said, "Let Lyn, Robin and Nino take a break. Alfonse, Sharena and me got this covered".

"Alright, whatever you say", I said, "But I'm bringing Robin with us, just in case things go south".

"Fine enough", Anna said, "I'll meet you in the lobby after breakfast".

The two girls left. I got out of bed, found my usual hooded robe and boots outside my quarters and took a shower before getting dressed. I went downstairs to the mess hall and ate a quick breakfast of pancakes, buttered toast and a glass of milk. While I was eating, Eliwood slid beside me.

"You're fighting the World of Binding today?", Eliwood asked.

"Yeah, I heard the leader, Roy, was an expert tactician", I said as I took a sip of milk, "Apparently led a whole army and won a war with no casualties".

"Sounds impressive. My son has grown well", Eliwood said.

I coughed, "Yeah umm, sorry for having to fight against your son. Embla has taken over, so it's our job to liberate it".

"It's fine. I know he's not the real son that I know", Eliwood waved his hand in a "brush it off" motion, "But when you do see him in the World of Binding, tell him that Eliwood sent his compliments".

"I'll do that", I finished my food and got up from the white marble table I was sitting at, "Looks like it's my time to go. See you when we get back Eliwood".

"Alright, see you. Good luck and be careful!", Eliwood called as I left the mess hall to join my heroes in the lobby.

Going through the portal to the World of Binding, we ended up in a plain nearby a mountain with a river rushing nearby.

"You must be the Order of Heroes in the Askran kingdom", a short red haired boy greeted, "Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Roy".

"Oh yeah, Eliwood sent his compliments from Askr", I said, "He said he was proud of you for winning the war against Bern".

"Ah, I would love to visit him in your world, but me and my army is bound by contract to Embla", Roy said, "Which means that I must fight you, as ordered by the princess of Embla, Veronica".

"Fine then. On your ready", Alfonse drew his Iron Sword.

Roy smiled, "I know that it's rude to point my blade at other royalty, but I have a job to do. En garde!". Roy ran back to join with a group of Emblian soldiers.

There was a Sword Cavalier, a Lance Cavalier and a bowman facing us.

"Anna! Lure out the lance cavalier and take it out. Sharena and Alfonse, help Anna fight the Sword Cavalier and Roy! Robin, take out the bowman at range!", I commanded. The battle begun. The Emblian bowman shot his Iron Bow at Robin, who deflected it no problem with his Blarraven.

"Wrong move!", Robin cast Blarraven and a flock of blue birds stormed out from his tome, smashing the archer to the ground. The Sword and Lance Cavalier galloped to Anna and Sharena. The Lance Cavalier thrust his Iron Lance down at Anna, who dodged to the right and slashed her axe onto the horseman's side. The cavalier staggered back and Sharena finished with a swift stab to the chest. Alfonse clashed with the Sword Cavalier, sword to sword. The cavalier swung down at Alfonse's shoulder and made a deep cut. Alfonse gritted his teeth and countered back, cleaving the horse's head in two. As the cavalier's mount died, the rider dismounted and engaged Alfonse on foot. The cavalier attacked at the prince's waist, drawing another cut on Alfonse's body.

"Be careful Alfonse!", I shouted, "Fall back!".

"It's fine Lucian!", Alfonse shouted as his blade glowed with yellow light, "Daylight!".

Alfonse leaped into the air and smashed his glowing sword onto the cavalier. As the cavalier fell, the light spread onto Alfonse's body, mending some of his wounds. Roy dashed towards Alfonse, sword in hand. The prince raised his Iron Sword in defense and blocked Roy's blade, but just as fast, Roy pushed Alfonse back and slashed his waist.

"Sharena! I need help!", Alfonse cried as Roy continued his powerful assault with his sword. Roy made a broad cut at Alfonse's shoulder, then slashed his legs, pushing the prince back to the portal.

"Gotcha!", Sharena spun her Iron Lance dramatically and impaled Roy in the back.

"S-strong as they say…", Roy croaked weakly, "But the contract isn't… isn't broken yet. And so… I'll s-see you again…", and the swordsman vanished in a puff of gold light.

"Gah! Sharena, be gentle!", Alfonse cried weakly as Sharena treated his wounds with their first aid kit. I silently laughed. Niles would of made a lewd joke if he heard Alfonse's cries.

"Alfonse, just relax", Anna said soothingly as he held the prince's shoulder, "Sharena's almost finished".

"Glad that you taught me first aid back then", Sharena smiled as she pressed white bandages onto Alfonse's injuries, "I almost forgot to appreciate the lesson". As Sharena continued treating Alfonse, Robin came back from his scouting mission.

"Lucian, there's a plain with twin bridges up ahead", Robin reported, "There are two Emblian Lance Cavaliers, along with a young blond girl on a horse and a green haired woman with a tome".

"What are their positions?", I asked.

"The blond girl is with a Lance Cavalier on one side and the green haired woman is beside the other one on the other side", Robin said, "I think we should send Anna and Alfonse on the side with the older woman and me and Sharena on the opposite side with the blond girl".

"Alright, that's a good strategy", I grinned, "I'm glad that I summoned you". "It's a simple strategy with the Weapon Triangle though", Robin frowned, "You could come up with that. No need for a compliment".

"Yeah umm…", I coughed into my fist, "Sorry about that".

I turned behind me to check on Alfonse, "Is he good?".

The prince groggily got up from the ground, "I'm alright, but I might fall behind a little in the coming battles".

"Alright, that's fine. Let's hurry along then", I said.

"Ah, look at these dirty, uncouth peasants coming towards us", the blond girl smiled confidently as she watched the four emissaries of the Order of Heroes marching towards them.

"I wouldn't underestimate them, Clarine", the green haired woman advised, "I hear that they conquered the World of Mystery and the World of Conquest. If that is true, then they are strong foes".

"Hah, but they haven't faced me yet!", Clarine said confidently, "I learned from the mage general of Etruria herself. My magic is unrivaled!".

The woman sighed, "Well, do be careful".

"Don't be worried, Cecilia"

The five of us barrelled down the hillside like barbarians towards the group of four stationed near the bridges.

"What are they doing charging like that?!", Cecilia cried, "Do they have no mind for strategy at all?". The valkyrie's Wind tome glowed green and a singular wind blade shot towards Alfonse. The prince leaped forward in a downward strike and slammed his sword onto Cecilia's head, taking her out in one hit. The Lance Cavalier stabbed Alfonse in the chest, but Anna came in and cut the cavalier in half with her axe. Meanwhile, Robin led the charge against Clarine and her escort.

"Blarraven!", Robin's tome spewed out a torrent of spirit birds and they bombarded Clarine, who screamed and wailed in frustration and pain.

"What are you doing? Attack them!", Clarine shouted to the Emblian cavalier as the birds flew away from her face. The soldier galloped forward and thrust his lance down onto Robin. Because of the lack of space on the bridge and Sharena behind him, Robin was forced to take a stab to the shoulder. Robin gritted his teeth and kicked the cavalier in the leg and swapped positions with Sharena. Sharena thrust her lance onto the cavalier, who backed away to get healed. Clarine came over and rose her staff.

"Heal!", she called and the ivory rod glowed with white light. The light enveloped the cavalier and it healed his stab and kick wounds.

"That's enough!", Anna jumped like a feral berserker and slammed her axe onto the cavalier by surprise, completely demolishing him.

"And to end it off", Alfonse slashed at Clarine's side and ended the battle.

The next fight was a skirmish in the desert. Two similarly-clothed mages were on the right and center, while a young girl wearing a light yellow dress was on the top left of the desert. At the entrance of some desert city, a regular Emblian axe fighter was there.

"Well, here they come", the male mage said as his pulled his Flux tome out.

"Do… do we really have to fight…?", the female mage asked slowly, "Fae… Fae doesn't seem to enjoy it…".

"We're bound by contract to Embla. They care nothing for our feelings or emotions", the male mage replied, "Stinks, but we must comply".

"Raigh…", the purple haired mage said softly, "If that's how you feel… then at least be careful".

"I will Sophia. Thank you", Raigh said as he watched the five come towards Arcadia.

When we arrived, we immediately took our positions planned by Robin. Robin and Alfonse would charge the right side to attack Raigh, Sophia and the axe fighter, while Sharena and Anna would fight Fae.

"Rawr!", Fae growled and she clutched the light blue stone in her hand tightly. Blinding light seared through the desert and when it faded, a large white dragon was in place of Fae.

I stifled a laugh, "Why does it look like a chicken?".

"RROAARRR!", Dragon Fae roared and spewed fire all over the desert battlefield.

"AHHH!", I leaped back as the fire licked my boots, "Sorry, sorry! I take that back! I take is all baacckkk!". Fae shot a jet of flame towards my direction. I ran as fast as I could to get away as the flames charred my hooded robe. Meanwhile, Sharena slashed her lance onto Fae's draconic body, then stabbed her in the stomach. Fae looked barely fazed and breathed fire downwards onto Sharena. The Askr princess raised her gold and white shield and blocked the flames, but the sheer power of the Manakete knocked her down into the sand. Sharena rolled away as Fae blew a column of fire at her former position. After the flames faded away, Anna went with her usual strategy: jumping like a berserker and sky slamming the enemy like some kind of basketball player. Anna smashed her axe downwards onto Fae, then slashed it upwards. The dragon flinched and retaliated, but Anna, the super fast person she is, darted behind her and executed her special attack.

"Night Sky!", Anna glowed purple and a dim vision of a night sky blazed into the air. Anna jumped and executed three swift attacks with her axe before pivoting on one foot and smashing her weapon onto Fae's back. The white dragon roared in pain and collapsed on the ground with a loud thud, transforming back to her human self and fading into gold light.

I popped out from a rock spire nearby, "Is it dead?".

"We got it. You can come out now", Anna said. I came out and scanned the desert battlefield. It was empty. Alfonse and Robin dealt with Sophia, Raigh and the axe fighter and was about to help Anna and Sharena, but they defeated Fae before they could come over.

"Well now… that was pretty tough", I said to break the silence.

Sharena sat down on the hot sand, "This is how powerful Embla is. They have heroes like this and more. Wish we had them with us instead".

"Yeah, it's a bummer", Alfonse said, resting on a flat rock nearby the entrance to Arcadia.

I picked at my charred robe, "Let's rest and hurry along. The battles ahead won't get easier".

After a short rest, we continued on. Crossing the blazing desert, we found ourselves on a snowy mountainside.

"By the great god Duma… what kind of ridiculous weather is this?", I chattered as I shivered in my robe.

"The World of Binding has some inconsistent weather", Robin said as he pulled the black hood on his coat up, "First we were in a plain, then a desert and now a freezing mountainside!". As we hiked the cold peak, we found four more Emblians heroes waiting for us. On the left side of the mountain was a muscular man with an awesome mustache. In his hand was a giant double bladed axe. On the right was a short girl with purple hair tied in a ponytail. She was wearing a rather short teal tunic along with a thin white vest. In her hand was a long katana. Finally, flying in the mountains on a pegasus was another girl, wearing a light blue breastplate and a white skirt. She had short blue hair and a thin white headband.

"Oy, there they are!", the axe man called, "Shanna, Fir, get ready for a fight!".

"I don't know why you guys are here in Ilia, but I'll be happy to hone my blade on you!", Fir drew her sword and pointed it at us.

"Sharena and Anna! Attack Shanna and Fir on the right side. Alfonse, fight the axe man on the left. Be careful of Shanna", I commanded. The battle begun and we split up. Fir charged at Sharena and slammed her blade onto her shield… that did no damage.

"Uhh… okay", Sharena thrust her lance forward, but Fir darted to the side and swung her blade to her waist. The Iron Sword bounced off of Sharena's armor.

"Kid, just save yourself the trouble", Sharena said and slashed in a wide arc with her lance. The spear point caught Fir in her rib cage and the swordswoman stumbled back, holding her wound in pain.

"Let me help!", Anna dashed from the left side of Fir and smacked her axe onto Fir's arm, knocking her to the ground. Shanna lunged with her lance and attacked Anna, but the axe fighter rolled out of the way. However, as Anna got up, Shanna swung her spear behind her, hitting Anna in the face.

"Anna!", I cried, "Robin, go help Sharena and Anna! Quickly!". Robin took off and summoned a flock of ravens to distract Shanna. Sharena was dragging the unconscious Anna back towards me. The spirit birds flew away from Shanna and the pegasus knight lunged towards Sharena's back.

"No you don't!", Robin jumped in the way and used his body as a shield. Shanna stabbed Robin through the shoulder, but the tactician took the hit surprisingly well. His tome glowed with hot orange light and he shouted, "Glowing Ember!". He cast Blarraven and flaming spirit birds swarmed out from his tome and took out Shanna. On the other side, Alfonse managed to take out the axe man.

"Get ready to fight Bartre the Bravest, little man!", the axe man shouted and swung his axe in a giant arc. Alfonse darted backwards and retaliated with his sword, making three long cuts across Bartre's body.

"Time to end this!", Alfonse lunged forward while Bartre was stunned and stabbed him in the stomach, taking him and his group down.

Hiking down the snowy mountain, we found ourselves in front of a large volcano.

"Another case of weird climate", I said, gawking at the volcano.

"First a plain, then a desert, then a snowy mountain and then a volcano", Robin summed up, "The World of Binding has some odd landscape".

"Odd is an understatement", Sharena said, gesturing the other four to walk through the volcano entrance, which was carved on the side. Inside the boiling volcano, I was lucky to even survive the burning heat around me. Molten rock formed a pathway for us to walk on and lava bubbled beside us. Going through a cave entrance, we found a large piece of rock shaped like a circular battlefield. Standing on the other side was Roy, a blue haired mage, a pink haired knight and an Emblian troubadour.

"Ah, you have arrived", Roy drew his Iron Sword, "Your group is more impressive than I thought, but we won't hold back in this duel! I will deliver the full power of my sword and you Lilina…", Roy faced the blue haired mage, "...you'll unleash your fiercest flames! Charge!".

Roy dashed towards Alfonse, while Lilina followed behind him. Roy clashed sword to sword with Alfonse, generating a storm of sparks from their blades. Roy broke away from Alfonse and as fast as lightning, he grabbed the prince's collar.

"What the?!", Alfonse grabbed Roy's wrist, but Roy dragged Alfonse back with him, easily allowing Lilina to come in and cast a bright and powerful Fire spell on Alfonse. The fireball collided with Alfonse's chest and he was collapsed onto the rocky floor, fading like any other defeated hero.

"Alfonse!", Sharena cried, then glared at Roy in anger, "You'll pay for this!". Sharena rushed and stabbed Roy through the stomach. Roy retaliated and lunged to drag back Sharena, but the Askr princess didn't fall for the same trick. She darted to the side and got behind Roy, taking Lilina by surprise. Sharena thrust her lance and skewered Lilina through the chest. Roy was about to strike Sharena in the back, but a flock of ravens collided with Roy from behind, ending Roy and the fight.

"Watch yourself", Robin said as Roy faded into light, "You could have fallen into the lava there if he attacked you".

"What?", Sharena looked beside her, then leaped back, screaming. Both Robin and Anna and I let out a weary, but genuine laugh. We were about to leave the volcano when Roy reappeared in a flash of light.

"You have proven to be stronger than us", Roy said, smiling, "Well done, Princess Sharena and Commander Anna. But I believe the highest credit should go to your tactician". Beside me, Sharena slapped my back and grinned.

"Now I must go", Roy said, "May we battle on the same side one day", and he left the volcano.

"Excellent work guys", Anna said, "We have released the World of Binding from Embla's control".

"Phew, that was probably the hardest fight we have ever done", Sharena said, wiping sweat off her forehead, "How are you holding up Lucian?".

"It's hot, but I'm okay…", I said, tiredness straining my voice, "Let's hurry back. I need a nap…".

Robin chuckled, "Adapting to different terrain and weather is hard on the human body and it really puts a large toll on us…".

"Speaking of which, how is your world like?", Sharena asked, "You already saw what we have, but what do you have in yours?".

"Uhh, we got stuff like skyscrapers, cars and…"

"Wait, wait, wait, what are "cars" and "skyscrapers"?"

I spent the next two minutes explaining what both of them were.

"Ohh, so cars are like horse carriages, except made of metal and aren't run by horses", Sharena said, "And skyscrapers… they sound so magnificent! A building that touches the sky… I'd love to see that!".

"I can tell you the rest when we get back to Askr", I offered, "But right now, let's head home. This lava is starting to kill me…".

So we left the World of Binding. Once we got back to Askr castle, I immediately took a shower, got into my nightclothes and flopped onto my bed.

"Hey Lucian!", Sharena's energetic voice rang from behind my door, "Me and Alfonse want to learn more about your world! Can you let us in?".

"The door's open!", I called, placing a book of recorded heroes down on my bedsheets. Sharena opened the door and was followed by Alfonse, Nino, Robin and Olivia.

"Sharena, you didn't tell me that you were bringing this many people to storytime", I said.

Alfonse gave me a faint smile, "Sharena spread the word about your world while you were in the shower. She kinda attracted a lot of attention".

I sighed, "Fine then. Looks like I'm going to have a big audience. Okay everybody, sit down in front of Grandpa Lucian". Everybody sat down and I told them about my home world until sunset.

"And there's these stupid things called fidget spinners", I said with disdain, "It's a big trend in my world right now. You spin it around to relieve stress, supposingly, but the thing I don't get is that people pay roughly $35 for it!".

"And how much is that in gold?", Olivia asked. "I don't know. Maybe 3500 or something", I answered, "But it's ridiculous how much people pay for such things".

Nino raised her hand, "Can you tell us more of your world's "vehicles"? I want to know more about your "helicopters" and "limousines"".

"Helicopters and airplanes aren't much different from riding a pegasus", I said, passively twirling my black hair with my finger, "It's probably safer and more efficient, given that it's made of metal, can carry more people and doesn't need food to function".

"You said something before about "tanks"", Robin began, "Can you expand on that?".

"Uhh… tanks are these giant metal combat vehicles", I said, "A soldier controls it from the inside and it can launch missiles, rockets and can withstand tons of impact".

"Interesting. So it's like a machine that shoots Bolganone magic or something like that", Robin noted.

"Sure, it's like that", I said as I slid off my bed, "Well, that seems to be enough for today. We're late for dinner".

"Can you tell us the rest next time?", Sharena asked.

I smiled, "No because it'll probably overload your brain. Now let's go to the mess hall. I'm hungry".

"Wait, what do you mean overload my brain?", Sharena cried, "You come back here Lucian!", and she dashed down the hallway.

Alfonse sighed, "Still as spirited as ever Sharena…".

After dinner, I spent the night time hours reading. I spent the morning and half the afternoon in the World of Binding, then used the hours until evening telling Alfonse and Sharena about my home world. Usually around this time, my heroes would still be mingling around the castle. Lyn and Nino would be relaxing in the grassland nearby the castle. Eliwood and Caeda would be talking in the cafe, Chrom and Odin would be training and Robin read in the library with Alfonse. Virion was in the game room, playing chess with some of the butlers and Olivia would be doing a dance performance for the maids and Maria. For me, I was reminiscing about my world. How would I get back? How are they doing without me? Does time flow slower in this world than in my world? Was this all a dream? Those questions swarmed by head for a while now until I decided to let it slide and put down my book. If I was going to live in this world now, I may as well enjoy it. I rested my head on my pegasus down pillows and drifted into a deep sleep...

To be continued...


	5. Paralogue 1: Family Bonds

A Summoner's Journey

Paralogue 1: Family Bonds

 _Current Heroes: Alfonse, Sharena, Anna, Virion, Eliwood, Caeda, Odin, Niles, Maria, Robin, Chrom, Lyn, Olivia, Nino_

After the liberation of the World of Binding, things were once again, quiet. The spies reported no activity from Embla, so I took the time to do other things with my heroes. I took the daily postcards for the Hero Battles and went to the Special Map courtyard that Alfonse mentioned a week ago. Arriving at the empty courtyard with Lyn, Chrom, Odin and Maria, I found a thin slot at the entrance to slide my postcard in. I fit the Sophia Hero Battle card into the slot and the entire courtyard rippled with energy, walls rising out from the ground to form a battlefield. Four soldiers warped into the field, along with Sophia herself. After a short and easy battle with Sophia's squad, we managed to recruit her into our ranks.

"Welcome to the Order of Heroes, Sophia!", I smiled as I checked her stats. Sophia had Flux, Ruin, Fenrir, Fenrir+, Warding Blow and Fortify Resistance. Unfortunately, she was a gray two star. As I pulled the steaming postcard from the slot, Robin found a copy of the same postcard nearby the courtyard, but it was glowing red.

"Must be the hard difficulty card", I murmured as I slid the card into the slot. After a slightly harder fight than the last, we managed to recruit a bronze three star version of Sophia.

"That's better", I said. Although, looking at the two gray stars above Sophia's title of Nabata Prophet made me think of something. How can I increase the stars that a hero had? That was something I had to ask Anna when we got back to Askr castle.

When we got back home, I asked Anna my question. She replied that I could increase the stars by using Hero Feathers and coloured badges that I could win in the Training Tower. So I went and did the training tower floors with Chrom, Robin, Nino and Olivia until I gathered a pile of coloured badges dropped from the heroes in the tower like RPG monsters. Heading back to Askr castle with a sack of badges, I asked the quest fountain how many badges and hero feathers I needed to upgrade a hero from two star to three star.

"You need 5 red badges and 200 hero feathers to upgrade a two star hero", the fountain said.

"200 feathers and five badges huh?" I said to myself, "What's the cost for upgrading a four star to five star?".

"20 000 hero feathers and 20 great badges"

"WHAT?! TWENTY THOUSAND FEATHERS?!", I nearly punched the fountain in rage, "That's absolutely ridiculous!".

"Rules of the world, boy. Rules of the world"

I sighed. On some days, the delivery system would send a box of glowing hero feathers, usually 100 or so. This meant that it only takes two days of daily delivery to upgrade a two star to three star, but it also meant that it'll take 200 days to upgrade a four star to five star. That is more than half a year to wait.

"Well, I have to materials to upgrade, so how do I do it?", I asked.

"Bring the feathers, badges and hero over to the summoning ruins", the fountain instructed, "Have the hero stand in between the badges and feathers laid on the ground and aim the Breidablik at them. When the light fades, the hero's level and stats will be reset and the amount of badges and feathers needed to upgrade him or her would vanish".

"Ahh, I see", I said as I pulled five glowing badges out from my sack, "Thanks Mr Fountain. Is there anymore requirements?".

"The hero needs to be at least level 20 in order to be upgraded", the fountain said, "That is all".

"Okay, thanks again", I said as I went to find Sharena and Alfonse. The siblings were sparing in the training yard. Sharena thrust her lance towards Alfonse's shoulder, who ducked and countered with his blade. Sharena stumbled back and Alfonse went for a jumping strike. He brought his Iron Sword down full force onto Sharena, but the Askr princess raised her Iron Lance and blocked the attack with the shaft. While Alfonse was pushing his sword onto his sister's lance, Sharena kneed Alfonse in the stomach, then delivered a swift punch to the face. I made a mental note not to get Sharena angry when she's disarmed. Alfonse landed on the ground, his nose bleeding.

"Practice is over! Someone get Maria to heal Alfonse!", Anna called in the corner. As a maid ran to grab Maria from the castle, I approached Sharena.

"A little rough of Alfonse, weren't you?", I smirked.

Sharena smiled nervously, "A punch to the face isn't going to kill him, right?".

I laughed, "As long as you didn't hit him too hard, then he should be fine".

"Oh, Lucian", Anna turned and noticed me, "There's something I wanted to show you".

The redhead pulled a postcard out from her pocket, similar to the Legendary Heroes and Deep Devotion ones. I took the card and examined it. Four heroes were depicted on the card. The first (and most noticeable) was a blue haired man with blue eyes and a blue, gold and white uniform. The next was a girl with light purple hair, purple eyes and wore a white and purple robe. The two at the bottom of the card looked strikingly similar, as if they were twins.

"Must be another case of Eliwood and Roy… except that they are siblings", I mused. The guy on the left had greenish-blue short hair and was dressed in the same coloured plate mail armor. The girl beside him was shorter, with long sky blue hair and wore regal red and gold armor, with a medium-length white skirt. Behind her was a large yellow cape.

"Who are these people?", I asked aloud.

"I don't know, but the postcard arrived in the mail today, along with our usual daily orbs and such", Anna replied, "I also got a report from the castle spies that Embla invaded another world".

"Which one?", Sharena asked.

"It's… an odd one. A mixture of two, to be honest", Anna said.

"Great", I grumbled, "How are we supposed to know which world to enter in order to stop them?".

"We could try entering the Sacred World or the World of Holy War", Anna thought aloud, "That's the mixture of two worlds I've been talking about".

"Well, let's hurry then. Since Alfonse is out of commission, I pick Chrom, Sharena, Robin and Nino to be my fighting squad", I said, glancing at Sharena beside me.

"Alright, I'll notify them to meet you in the lobby", Anna said and she ran back into the castle.

My four heroes gathered in the portal courtyard, where we were looking at which portal to take. The Sacred World was a glowing turquoise while the World of Holy War was a darkish brown gateway.

"Anna said that Embla invaded a mixture of the Sacred World and World of Holy War", Robin said, "So wouldn't entering either or be fine?".

"Yeah… but I'm wondering which one is safer", I said, "The Sacred World is currently at peace now, according to Anna, but I heard that it's filled with powerful monsters. The World of Holy War has many evil kingdoms and rulers, which means if we pop out of nowhere, we'll be arrested in the next minute".

"Pick the Sacred World then", Chrom suggested, "Risen I can handle, but a whole hostile kingdom? Definitely no".

"I agree with Chrom", Robin said, "Monsters are irrational and easy to trick. We can take them no problem".

"I just hope that we don't encounter any monsters", Nino prayed, "Zombies and walking skeletons give me the creeps!".

Sharena smiled and patted Nino's head, "It's alright Nino. If any monsters DO come by, I'll show them how sharp my lance is!".

"So we're all dead set on going into the Sacred World?", I asked, "Okay then. Team, follow me!".

We landed in a mountainous passage, just outside a large castle nearby. An Emblian Lance Cavalier, a Green Mage and the two twins I saw on the banner were waiting for us.

"Hmm… the Order of Heroes, I presume?", the man asked, "I take it as you wish to challenge me and Eirika? I'll warn you now: the family bond forged between us is stronger than steel".

The girl beside him blushed, "Ephraim, please. Such words don't suit you".

"Yeah, cough", I coughed into my fist, "Incest is wincest".

"Apologies for my brother", Eirika said, "My name is Eirika, princess of Renais. I do not wish to fight you, but our contract says to do just that. I pray that you forgive us".

"It's alright. We did this before", I smiled, "Ready guys? Let's do this!".

Both teams charged at each other. The Lance Cavalier stabbed his spear onto Chrom's shoulder. The prince grunted and retaliated with a heavy strike to the waist. Nino shot a giant wind sword and impaled the cavalier, taking him down. The Green Mage shot a twin strike of Elwind towards Robin. The tactician darted out of the way and cast Blarraven, swarming the mage with spiritual birds. While the mage was stunned, Sharena finished with a powerful stab to the stomach. Ephraim rushed towards Sharena, Steel Lance in hand. The prince of Renais thrust his lance with confidence and power towards Sharena. Sharena didn't raise her shield in time and took a hard stab to the stomach. Ephraim followed up with a swift blow to the head with the shaft of his spear, but Sharena ducked in time and dashed behind Robin, who launched a swarm of magical ravens at the lancer.

"Now Nino!", Robin yelled and Nino sent a rainstorm of wind blades down towards Ephraim. The swords fell into place around Ephraim, encasing him, then they exploded, sending the prince flying.

"Ephraim!", Eirika screamed as the lancer slammed into the ground with a loud thud, then faded like other defeated heroes. Eirika gritted her teeth and gripped her Steel Sword tightly. She lunged at Robin, who was approaching her and thrust her sword, only for the attack to be sidestepped and Eirika to be kicked in the back.

"Sorry about this, sister", Robin said and knocked Eirika to the ground with Blarraven. As the princess of Renais struggled to get up, Chrom delivered a finishing blow to the head with his Silver Sword. After the fight, Ephraim reappeared, although he was disarmed this time.

"I'll admit you did well here", Ephraim admitted, "Eirika and I will be taking our leave of you. She and I may lose a fight but never a war. This is why we are so strong together. Our bond has been tempered by difficult times. She and I will not lose the next time we meet", and the prince disappeared, just like the other leaders before.

Later, our group found ourselves in a plain with short hills nearby. At first, there was nobody here. Suddenly, a wormhole opened in the sky in front of them and two figures tumbled out behind a hill.

"Oof. Julia, are you alright?", a blue-haired man asked.

"Of-of course, Seliph. I'm fine", the purple haired girl replied, "B-but where are we?".

Seliph gazed around him, "I don't know, but this is certainly a realm different from Grannvale. If we want to return home, we have to fulfill the rules of this contract that black princess gave us".

He came out from the hillside and pointed at us, "The contact tells us to fight these people called the "Order of Heroes". Don't worry Julia, we'll go home one way or another!".

"Let's hope so", the mage smiled, "For now, I suppose we gotta fight". On cue, two Emblian soldiers appeared in the west and east side of the plain. The one on the left was an Emblian Axe Cavalier and the other was an Emblian Cleric.

"Here's another group to fight", I said, "Chrom, take out the Axe Cavalier in the west. Robin, Nino and Sharena, fight the blue haired dude, purple haired lady and the Cleric in the east. Go!".

The battle ensued, with my heroes clashing with the Emblian soldiers. The Axe Cavalier swung his Iron Axe down on Chrom's face, but the prince dodged and took the horseman down in one mighty swing. Seliph charged and delivered two quick slashes with his sword at Robin, but the tactician was barely fazed. He began to cast Blarraven, but Julia blasted a powerful Elwind at Robin, causing him to stagger back.

"Nino, get the purple haired mage!", Robin called as he dodged a quick Elwind by Julia. Nino shot down a powerful Gronnblade onto Julia, but Seliph wasn't going to let that happen.

"Not on my watch!", Seliph went in and swung his sword down onto Nino, but Sharena jumped in the way and blocked the blade with her shield. Julia cast Elwind towards Sharena, but the wind blade Nino summoned crashed at her feet and blew up, pushing her a far distance away.

"Alright, time to tip the scales!", Robin glowed with purple light and destroyed Seliph with a Glowing Ember-charged Blarraven. Julia was getting healed by the Emblian Cleric and began shooting more magic towards us. Chrom managed to catch up and use his weapon triangle advantage to evade or resist Julia's attacks. Nino called down another Gronnblade and two of them impaled the Cleric, easily defeating her. Just as Julia was about to cast another Elwind, Chrom destroyed her tome with his sword, then slashed her waist, taking down the powerful green mage.

"Phew, that was tougher than last time", Robin said, resting on the ground.

"Probably wasn't smart to bring two blue heroes, huh?", I said, "Oh well. We survived the fight. Let's rest and continue going". As we sat down to rest, Julia reappeared, smiling.

"Such warm light… coming from all of you and yet I feel that we are still bound to this place", Julia said, "Perhaps after the next battle, strength will… prevail… and we will be able to rerun home. Surely that's what the future holds for us. We'll see you again", and the mage disappeared in a flash of light.

We rested for a few minutes, eating some rations Nino brought in her bag. Later, we found ourselves in, yet again, another volcano.

"Volcanos must be common in these worlds", I said as four figures emerged from the darkness of the cave. Ephraim, Seliph, Julia and Eirika have banded together to fight as one.

"Here you are at last. We've been waiting for you", Ephraim welcomed, "It seems that your bonds and relationships are strong indeed. But it cannot be as strong as the one that binds Eirika and me. Ours is so strong that some fools dare spread lies about us. Disgusting".

"Yes… absolutely disgusting", I said with a dry smile.

"Ephraim, please. They want a fight, not to hear you rant", Eirika chided, "Apologies again. Now then, will you be able to break the binding contract? Let's find out".

"I hear that Julia gave you quite some trouble in the last fight. Let's see if you can handle all of us", Seliph drew his Steel Sword, "Are you ready?".

"Heck yeah, I am! Ready guys?", I looked at my heroes and they drew their weapons and grinned.

"Let's do it! GO!", I commanded. Nino sent a large wind sword down onto Ephraim, but Eirika jumped in the way and absorbed the magic shot well.

"Take this!", Robin sent a swarm of spirit birds crashing into Eirika and she tumbled like a sack of rocks. Nino began to cast Gronnblade again only to get hit in the face by Julia's Elwind.

"Watch me go!", Sharena charged into the fray and caught Julia in the leg. The mage stepped back and Sharena followed up with a strike to the shoulder.

"Sharena, behind you!", I called as Ephraim rose to stab Sharena in the back. The Askr princess stomped on Julia's foot and raised her shield to block Ephraim's spear.

"Gronnblade!", Nino summoned a large green glaive and sent it twirling through the enemy. Now to explain to you people who don't know what a glaive is: a glaive is a handle with two long blades attached on the ends, at least that's my seeing on it. Hey, the Glaive and Sapphire Fang weapons in Shadow Fight 2 looked like that. Don't attack me, weapon freaks. Anyways, the emerald glaive spun through the air and cut Ephraim in half through the waist. Nino was glad she closed to eyes to maintain the spell because the blood and gore would of made her throw up. The glaive hit Seliph, but he didn't take as much damage. Julia, already weakened by Sharena's attacks, was defeated by a single touch of the magic sword.

"Let's finish this!", Robin summoned a sea of spiritual ravens and defeated Seliph, ending the battle.

"Wow… could've given me some action there", Chrom said as the group took a minute to rest on the hard rocky floor. Our four opponents reappeared, this time without weapons.

"Defeated? I can't believe I was… I'm so sorry Eirika", Ephraim apologized, "I suppose pride got the best of me in the heat of battle".

Eirika patted her brother lightly on the back, "Ephraim, your pride may blind you from time to time, but it's my fault we lost. I'm not as skilled in battle as you are. For that, you had to make up for the lapses in the fight. I'm sorry".

"I'm your older brother! I'm supposed to watch over you. I've been doing that since you were born…", Ephraim began to ramble before Seliph interrupted, probably to save himself from a story that he never wanted to listen to.

"Pardon me, may we interrupt?", Seliph asked politely, "Order of Heroes, we must all thank you, for now we are finally free to return to our worlds".

"If we… ever meet again… let us repay your… kindness", Julia said slowly.

"Is Julia okay? She speaks rather slow", I pointed out.

"Julia is just winded from the fighting here", Seliph said, "But I think it also stems from her shyness and gentle nature".

"Now who's getting off-topic now?", Ephraim grumbled.

"Ah, sorry", Seliph apologized.

"Anyhow, if we do meet again, I want another chance to test my lance against you people", Ephraim glanced at his sister next to him, "Eirika, you and I are going to double our usual training as soon as we get home".

Eirika smiled warmly, "Oh, Ephraim. These good people will hopefully be our allies, not just your sparring partners. Now, good-bye to all of you. I do hope we meet again—and in the best of ways…", and the four heroes disappeared in a flash of light.

We made our way back to Askr castle, where Mr Fountain awarded us with three orbs.

"Now if you could do that again in the Hard and Lunatic difficulty… I could reward more orbs to you", the fountain intoned.

"Hey, that's a great idea!", I said, then I faced my heroes behind me, "Meet me back in the lobby in two hours. Take the time to rest while I find my Hard and Lunatic difficulty cards".

As my heroes dispersed towards the barracks to rest, I made my way up to my quarters, where I found the red and purple difficulty cards sitting on my desk. Sliding them in the pockets of my pants, I took the time to have a bath, have lunch at the cafe and relax for a while on my bed. I was reading a book about heroes in Askr, specifically the part about duplicate heroes and clone units.

" _Wielders of the Breidablik are able to summon the same hero more than once. In this instance, the heroes are separate deities and thus, do not share memories or relationships with each other. A hero's past in their world may cause a change in the hero's stats upon summoning. For example, if one Palla has received more physical training than the other, it'll be summoned with up to three more points of Attack than the other Palla, who may have flown in the skies more. In the case of increasing stats (the term used is boon), there is also a price (which is called a bane). This same Palla that has taken in tons of physical training was trained in such a way that she fights with no regard for defense at , when she is summoned, this Palla will have up to three points less in Defense than a regular Palla. The boon and bane system of heroes is often called IVs, or individual values"_

The book then went on to explain what IVs are, so I flipped to the next page, which detailed about clone units.

" _In time, wielders of the Breidablik will characters of the same origin, looks and even personality, but in different clothing. These units are completely separate from each other, again with not the same memories or bonds. An example is the local Spring Festival held in the World of Awakening every April. During such a time, heroes wearing Spring clothing are summonable through the postcard sent and if you have, for example, a regular Lucina in your party, the Spring Lucina you can potentially summon has a completely different mind and memories from the standard Lucina. They may even have different skills and stat lines, separating them even further from each other besides looks. To give an example, a standard Chrom has Iron Sword, Steel Sword, Silver Sword, Falchion, Daylight, Sol, Aether, Defiant Defense and Spur Defense while Spring Chrom has Iron Axe, Steel Axe, Carrot Axe, Carrot Axe+, Shove, Attack and Defense +2 and Axe Experience. The differences in weapons, stats and skills make them so different that they may as well be different characters, except for the look"_

" _A Carrot Axe? Really?"_ , I thought as I glanced at the time. It was 3:34 P.M already. I would have to go and meet my team in 26 minutes. I put down the pure white book on my nightstand and grabbed my sack of badges off of my desk. I went downstairs and found Sharena chatting with Eliwood. I focused my gaze on her to check her stats when someone talked behind me.

"So I see that you're checking out our little princess over there", Niles leaned casually on the stairwell railing, "You got the hots for her?".

I glared at the outlaw, "I'm just checking her level. I need to know that before I promote her".

"Well, you should find another way to examine those stats besides staring at them", Niles said, "Makes you look like me".

"Hmph", I crossed my arms, "What are you doing here anyways? The barracks are on the _right_ side of the lobby".

"Oh, don't mind me. Just mingling around", Niles shrugged, "Got nothing to do right now".

"Oh well. It's not my responsibility to amuse you", I said, staring at Sharena and pulling up her stat screen.

"Welp, nice to see you Lucian. I'll be in the game room", and Niles went down the staircase. I scrolled through Sharena's stat screen until seeing that her level was 22.

" _That training in the Training Tower really helped"_ , I smiled. I went down to the storage room downstairs and took a wheelbarrow full of glowing Hero Feathers. I left it in the lobby and ran up to my room to grab the 20 orbs that were in my personal storage chest. Then I ran back down to throw them into the wheelbarrow.

"Sharena, come with me to the summoning ruins", I said, "I got a present for you".

"Is it something having to do with the tub of Hero Feathers and the sack tied to your belt?", the princess asked.

"Yeah, basically. Let's go", and I wheeled the wheelbarrow towards the summoning ruins.

"Okay, so Mr Fountain told me this morning how to do this", I placed 200 Hero Feathers on the left side of the ruins and five small, glowing blue badges on the right.

"Sharena, stand in between those two piles", I instructed as I unhooked the Breidablik from my waist.

"Alright, you ready?", I took aim at her. The Hero Feathers glowed even brighter and levitated into the air, along with the badges. White and blue tendrils of light bolted from the two piles and illuminated Sharena in a beautiful white and blue aura. A blinding flash filled the ruin with light and went it faded, Sharena's aura was gone, along with the Hero Feathers and badges.

"D-do you feel stronger?", I asked.

"To be honest, I feel weaker Lucian", Sharena replied, "But I sense more potential in me! Thanks Lucian!", and the princess hugged me tight.

"I read that promoting heroes also unlocks more skills and weapons for them", I said, "You only need to pay SP, also known as skill points to get them. Let's see…". I scrolled through Sharena's skill list and found that she had enough to buy a Silver Lance.

"Alright, let's click this and press okay…", I pressed the holographic screen and suddenly, Sharena's Iron Lance vanished and replaced itself with a longer, sharper and sturdier spear.

"Wow, this looks incredible! You're the best Lucian!", and Sharena hugged me again. I smiled,

"No problem. Now then, shall we get to summoning?".

"Sure!", Sharena stood back as I laid my 20 orbs on the floor of the ruin. I slid the Family Bonds postcard into the slot and put five orbs into my Breidablik. I took aim at the first red orb and searing light flared up.

When the glare faded, I was awestruck. Standing in front of me was a blue haired man wearing a blue, white and gold uniform. In his hand was a sword similarly looking to Falchion. This man was the man we just fought a couple hours ago. It was Seliph.

" _Holy me, my luck is insane"_ , I thought to myself as I shook hands with Seliph and exchanged words with him.

"I worry for my sister Julia. Is it possible for you to summon her?", Seliph asked.

"I'll do my best. In fact, let's go for the the green orb this time! Stand back Seliph", I aimed at the green orb and familiar searing light filled the room.

" _Impossible. My luck isn't this good… right?"_ , I thought as I covered my eyes. When the light went away, I was seriously considering buying a lottery ticket when I got home. The hero I summoned had fair skin, light purple hair and wore a light white and purple robe. In her hand was a beautifully designed tome, with a gold cross and light pink colour on the cover.

"My name is Julia, someone who has the ability to use the book of the divine dragon- Naga. Pleasure to be of service", Julia said. After a happy sibling reunion and welcome to the Order of Heroes, I continued on. Aiming at the blue, gray and second red orb, I got a four star Abel, a three star Serra and a four star Lon'qu. I gazed at the sun in the sky, slowly descending towards the horizon.

"It's almost nightfall. We won't have time to do the Hard and Lunatic difficulties today", I decided,

"Everyone, follow me to Askr castle. Ask Anna to assign you a barracks spot and meet me in the lobby in the morning. We're heading over to the Training Tower".

"Wait a minute… _Anna_ is here?!", Lon'qu drew his Killing Edge, "That damn witch ripped me off!".

"Whoa, whoa, there buddy. Put the sword away", I waved my hands in a "calm down" motion, "This Anna is different from the one in your world. I'm sure they have different personality".

"Hmph", Lon'qu sheathed his sword.

"Seliph, Julia, Abel and Lon'qu, meet me in the lobby by… 10 in the morning", I said, "We're going to do…", I got an anime glint in my eye, "... a training montage"

 _To be continued..._


	6. Chapter 4: World of Awakening

A Summoner's Journey

Chapter 4: World of Awakening

 _Current Heroes: Alfonse, Sharena, Anna, Virion, Eliwood, Caeda, Odin, Niles, Maria, Robin, Chrom, Lyn, Olivia, Nino, Seliph, Julia, Abel, Serra and Lon'qu_

I spent the morning training my new heroes in the Training Tower. Julia proved to be an overwhelmingly powerful mage, one-shotting many soldiers unfortunate enough to be caught in her nuclear bomb of magic. Too bad she was pretty slow and a wet napkin could take more physical abuse than she could. Seliph was pretty good as well. He could take hits, dish out heavy damage and took a LOT to bring down. When he was wounded, his sword, the legendary Tyrfing, pulsed with orange light and projected a thin protective barrier around Seliph, which weakened physical attacks. The problem was that Seliph is kinda slow and not great against mages. Abel was pretty cool. His lance, the Brave Lance, allowed him to execute two attacks in quick succession, making him a quick killer. I also bought him the skill called Swordbreaker which gave the cavalier the ability to shatter enemy swords when he attacks. Serra was Serra. A nuisance most of the time, but was a healer nevertheless. Finally, Lon'qu was abnormally fast. Like, he was on one side of the floor one second and deep in enemy lines, stabbing soldiers in the back the next. His sword, the Killing Edge, made his special attack, Night Sky activate faster. As I watched my heroes decimate the soldiers and enemy heroes on the Training Tower 5th floor, I decided who I wanted to take before going to the next world. I wanted to have Robin (of course), Julia, Lyn and Seliph as my main party. After the long training session that lasted about an hour and a half, I got my heroes to level 15 to 20 and made way back to the castle, where I received a disturbing report from Anna…

"Lucian! Embla has attacked the World of Awakening!", Anna cried.

"Seliph and Julia, wait in the lobby", I said, "I'll go fetch Robin and…". Suddenly, I stopped with a funny thought in my head. "Chrom and Robin are from the World of Awakening, right?", I asked Anna behind me.

"Yeah, so?", the redhead asked.

"Wouldn't it be funny if they met each other in their world?", I asked, "You know what, sub Lyn for Chrom. I want to see this".

"Lucian, I would ask that you take this more seriously", Alfonse said, a stern look on his face, "We're not warring again Embla for laughs and giggles".

"Don't worry. Bringing Chrom instead of Lyn will hardly make a difference", I smiled, "Besides, if things go south, we got our MVP Robin to make a comeback!".

"You put way too much faith in that guy…", Alfonse sighed, "Robin's in the library, as usual. Chrom's in the training yard, fighting a dummy in the MIDDLE of the yard".

I raised an eyebrow, "Hm? What's happened?".

Alfonse gritted his teeth, "Chrom accidentally smashed a jeweled jar that was nearby the training yard"

"Oh… that's a little clumsy".

"He also broke three training dummies already. I swear, the coffers are going to empty because of this man…", Alfonse muttered.

"Alfonse, don't speak ill of the Exalt prince!", Sharena smacked Alfonse's back, "He's a kind and great man. He actually kinda resembles you".

"Flattering…", Alfonse said, "Anyhow, if you DO bring Chrom, please remind him not to break anymore stuff in the castle".

"Duly noted. I'll go tell him", I smiled as I ran down to the training yard.

After assembling my heroes and going through the portal to the World of Awakening, we landed in a plain nearby a river and mountain passage. Three figures were on the opposite side of the river, which had a small bridge over it. One was a brown haired man riding a horse practically covered in silver armor. In his hand was a large Steel Axe. The one in the center had blue hair, a white cape… you know what? Screw it. It was a doppelganger of Chrom. Beside him was a girl with blond pigtails. In her hand was a Heal staff. Chrom drew his Steel Sword,

"So you're the invaders from this so-called Order of Heroes?".

"Yes we are. We're here to liberate you from Embla", I said boldly.

"Actually…", Chrom pointed his blade at us, "We've gotten word from Emblians soldiers that you're here to raze our realm. They also warned us that any relative or friend aligned with Askr is fake. So don't even try to distract me with your Chrom and Robin behind you".

"Ah crap", I muttered.

"I'm warning you now: no one will bring harm to the Halidom of Ylisse", Chrom said with a dark look on his face, "Not on my watch. Now you face me and my Shepherds. Frederick! Lissa! Prepare for battle!".

"I'll take care of this rabble", the cavalier, who I assumed was Frederick said and he charged at us, full sprint. He brought his axe down onto my head, but my Chrom jumped in the way and blocked it with his Silver Sword.

"Let me hear you **PICK A GOD AND PRAY"** , Chrom pushed Frederick back with his sword and slammed his blade onto the knight's side. Frederick staggered back, allowing Robin to launch a follow up attack with his tome, taking down the axe knight.

"Hrrahh!", Chrom lunged towards my Chrom in the front of my group and clashed blades with each other.

"You're not the real Chrom!", the enemy Chrom shouted.

"Neither are you!", my Chrom shouted back and they broke apart.

"Milady Naga, let us see this day through. Show me the way, to purge my enemies!", Julia's Naga tome glowed with white light and a giant white vision of a dragon rose from the earth. Chrom stumbled back as the dragon roared, sending a powerful shockwave through the entire battlefield. Even though the attack wasn't aimed at us, I could still feel the power radiating off it. The enemy Chrom, on the other hand, got a faceful of godly dragon magic and got blasted to the ground, dissolving into light. Seliph dashed across the bridge to finish off Lissa. I surveyed the field to check for any other soldiers and gestured to my heroes to continue on. Before we could leave however, Chrom reappeared without a weapon.

"We will not admit defeat so easily. The rest of the Shepherds will stop you. Our bonds are strong that we will never submit to you, villains", he said.

"Oh come on, banging your sis is disgusting!", I said.

Chrom reared back in shock, "W-what did you say?".

I smiled dryly, "Nothing. Just going to see that we're not the villains, it's Embla and stuff like that. See you later!". Me and my heroes brushed back the exalt prince and moved on.

Heading forward, we ended up in a dark gray mountain fortress, with snow pouring all around us.

"Seliph, my feet are cold", Julia said.

"Umm, I could carry you in my arms if you like…", Seliph said, sheathing his Tyrfing and holding out his hands.

"Erm… alright", Julia allowed herself to be carried by Seliph.

"Ship, ship", I whispered sarcastically to myself.

Meanwhile, Robin and Chrom were gazing at the fortress up ahead.

"Oh, I remember this place!", Robin grinned as he pulled the hood on his coat up, "This is Longfort, the border castle between Ylisse and Regna Ferox!".

"Whoa, that was a long time ago", Chrom said, his left arm twitching from the cold, "Didn't we come here to negotiate an alliance with Ferox to fight the war with Plegia?".

"Yeah, and that knight Raimi mistook you for a brigand. Hah! The brand of the exalt is on your shoulder! How could she not see that?".

"She probably thought it was a tattoo…", Chrom mumbled, but Robin was still laughing about Raimi's apparent "blindness".

"Looks like this fort is deserted", I said, looking around the empty corridors of the fortress.

"Lon'qu… I'm cold", a small, female voice rang from the fort.

"You should of worn more clothing Olivia", a male voice hissed quietly.

"Who's there?!", I shouted and four soldiers emerged from the empty fort. There was two sword fighters, an armored axe knight and a bowman.

I wasted no time issuing orders. "Seliph and Julia, attack the right flank with the armor knight. Robin and Chrom, take the left side!".

"On it!", Seliph gently let Julia down and dashed towards the left side of the castle. Julia yelped when her sandals touched the cold snow, but made her way towards Seliph, who was dueling the axe knight. The Emblian soldier swung his axe down in a heavy blow, but Seliph dodged to the side and drew his Tyrfing. When Seliph dodged, the knight got his axe stuck in the ground, so while he was trying to pry it out, Seliph did a quick swipe to the neck and ended the soldier's life. The archer shot an arrow into Seliph's stomach, so the swordsman pulled back and let Julia fight the bowman. A large vision of a white dragon sprang from Julia's Naga tome and blinded the Emblian soldier. The dragon roared and a powerful shockwave incinerated the bowman on the spot.

"Impressive as always Julia", Seliph smiled, although his face was pained because of the arrow sticking out from his stomach.

"Oh! Let me help you with that Seliph", Julia's tome pulsed with light and she said gently, "Breath of Life!". Her tome let out a short jolt of healing magic towards Seliph and the blood stains surrounding his wound faded. Seliph gave his half-sister a weak smile, but his face was still pained,

"Thanks Julia. I feel a little better now", he said.

"You're welcome. Let's check on our comrades on the other side", the mage lent Seliph her hand and they went to check on Robin and Chrom.

"Shame we're on opposite sides here. I hate to harm a fellow Shepherd", Chrom said as he drew his sword to face Lon'qu.

"Hmph. Let's see if your swordsmanship holds true. En garde!", Lon'qu drew his blade and charged at Chrom. He swiped twice onto the Ylissean prince, one of the strikes connecting on his chest and the other hit blocked. Chrom slammed his sword onto Lon'qu's arm, nearly taking it off. Lon'qu stumbled away, clutching his arm and gritting his teeth in contorted pain. "You're finished!", Robin began to cast Blarraven, but Olivia danced for Lon'qu behind him and the swordsman rushed to Robin before the tactician could cast. Lon'qu launched three consecutive strikes before glowing with purple energy.

"Night Sky!", a vision of a full moon burned into the air and Lon'qu jumped into the air, slamming his sword onto Robin's head. He then slashed at Robin's waist and again at his face.

"Robin!", Chrom had to stop before Robin got defeated. The prince smashed his Silver Sword onto Lon'qu's chest as Robin staggered away from the onslaught. The Feroxi myrmidon tumbled into the snow before Chrom stabbed his stomach with his sword, ending Lon'qu's life. Chrom breathed a sigh of relief after drawing his blade from the already-fading Lon'qu. Seliph and Julia snuck behind Olivia and finished her off. Chrom went to check on Robin.

"Robin, are you alright?", Chrom asked as he and I ran over to him. The tactician's body was marked with seemingly a million bleeding cuts. His face was covered by two long slashes that formed an X.

"I… I think I can stand…", Robin tried to stand up, but he fell back onto the snow pretty quickly.

"You were lucky to survive that. Robin, you are not going to participate in battle any further until you're healed", I said.

The mage rubbed his head, "At least allow me to support from the back with my magic. As tired as I am, I can't let the others fight without me".

"If the magic doesn't exhaust you too much, then go ahead", I smiled at Robin's dedication, "But be careful. In your condition, it looks like one touch could kill you".

We continued on our way. Chrom offered to carry Robin like Seliph was doing to Julia, but the tactician denied, despite having a hard time walking and bleeding all over his clothes.

"If you have blood on your hands, it'll be hard to hold your sword, right?", Robin tried to give the prince a smile, but the blood dripping down his face didn't help.

"You're practically bleeding out at this point. Continue on and you'll be too weak to even breath", Chrom said, then he leaned in, "That Lucian doesn't care for his soldiers at all if he's letting you do this".

Robin laughed weakly, "He told me before that heroes summoned by the Breidablik can't be killed by blood loss, at least according to a book he read. The hero must be stricken by a blade, arrowhead or magic in order to be slain. I'm fine".

"Still though, looking at you just makes me uncomfortable", Chrom frowned, "But if you say you're fine, then I'll not argue any further. Let's just pray to Naga that you'll survive this expedition".

"I'll be fine", Robin assured, "See, there's our next battlefield". Robin pointed down towards a mountain path surrounded by a deep chasm. Arranged in a square formation were four pegasus knights.

Down by the chasm, flying in the air, Cordelia sucked in her breath. Hiking down the mountain was the man of her dreams himself. " _Snap out of it"_ , Cordelia mentally slapped herself, " _This Chrom isn't real. It's that upstart imposter from Askr"_. Still though, she couldn't take her eyes off of Chrom. The Chrom in this world has gone missing ever since the fight with Grima and she was wondering where he went. Now Cordelia saw him alongside Robin leading Askr's troops against the World of Awakening. Cordelia glanced around her. The Emblian pegasus knights Princess Veronica sent were emotionless. They just stared at the Askr heroes and gripped their weapons tightly. Cordelia sighed and steeled herself, keeping her grip firm on her Steel Lance. This Chrom was an imposter. She had to remember that and not let her emotions override her skill in battle. That was something Phila often told her before she died. Cordelia sighed again and got ready to fight.

"My arms are tired. Can I let you down now?", Seliph asked.

"Oh! I'm sorry Seliph", Julia gently let herself out of Seliph's arms and Seliph swung his arms around, to loosen them up for the coming fight.

"Look at that giant crevice… let's be careful not to fall into it", Julia advised.

"Those pegasus knights might make that a problem", Seliph said as he drew his Tyrfing, "I say we stick together and try to not get knocked into the chasm".

Behind them, Robin suggested the exact same plan.

"So all of us stick together in the center to avoid getting knocked into the chasm", Robin said, "Chrom and Seliph will hold the line while me and Julia will stay near the mountain and snipe with magic".

"Uhh, I don't mean to question your logic, but maybe we should hang back at the mountain and protect you frail mages", Chrom pointed out.

I snickered, "Chrom's just afraid that he'll fall into the chasm. See those pointed lances? They can knock you down good".

"Excuse me?", Chrom looked back at me, "I'm by no means afraid Lucian. I just think that this is a more safe tactical plan".

"Chrom has a good point. We should lure the pegasus knights in with Chrom and Seliph, then they will retreat back to us and we'll shoot the fliers out of the sky with magic".

"Alright, that's cool. I'll go notify Seliph and Julia", and I made my way down the snowy mountain.

When we arrived at the base of the mountain, the fliers immediately rushed us.

"Holy Mila! There's coming right at us! Everybody, get into formation!", I cried.

Seliph and Chrom quickly got in front of Julia and Robin and walled the pegasus knights coming towards us. One Emblian Lance Flier vaulted towards Robin, but Seliph smacked her away with the flat of his Tyrfing and Robin knocked her out with a quick Blarraven. An Axe Flier slashed her Steel Axe onto Chrom's head, but the prince dodged and countered with his sword, taking the flier out in one blow. Cordelia came in just as the Axe Flier fell and nearly impaled Chrom through the chest. "Ahh!", Chrom quickly parried her lance with his sword and forced Cordelia back.

"I get it that Embla told you I'm a fake, but are all you so cold that you attack fellow Shepherds without hesitation?", Chrom asked.

Cordelia shut her eyes tightly, " _Just kill the enemy. Nothing more, nothing less"_.

"You are a fake. I have no business talking to you, Chrom", and Cordelia lunged with her lance again, nearly taking Chrom's arm off in the process.

"Gah! Okay then, fine!", Chrom swung his sword towards Cordelia, but the pegasus knight darted upwards and began to rocket down onto Robin.

"Julia, attacker from above!", I called.

"Huh?!", Julia looked up, then tried to cast Naga as quick as possible, but it was too late. Robin was too busy taking care of a Sword Flier to notice Cordelia vaulting down on him. Cordelia speared Robin through the head, making him drop dead onto the ground.

"AHH!", both me and Julia cried in fear, but anger quickly replaced Julia's terror, represented by burning white light gathering on the pages of her Naga tome, "O mighty Naga… grant me the power to avenge my ally that has fallen. Naga!". Seliph was dueling with Cordelia when blazing light flared out of Julia's tome and the shock wave emitted from it was so powerful, it blasted Cordelia off her mount and both of them dropped into the chasm.

"T-that was gruesome", Julia sat down and tried to control her breathing.

"Yeah… gruesome indeed", I also sat down and attempted to restrain the urge to throw up. Despite seeing blood and gore before, seeing Robin speared through the head by Cordelia's lance was too much. Thankfully, heroes fade after being killed and respawn in the castle lobby, so Robin wasn't dead and we don't need to see his disemboweled corpse.

"Well…", I got up and got my shaking arms until control, "Let's hurry and finish this. There shouldn't be much more battles after this one".

We continued through the chasm before arriving at an old looking farm, with crumbling pillars and cracked walls nearby.

"Huh, looks like this is Donnel's farm", Chrom remarked, looking around himself.

"Ah, looks like this here Order of Heroes have arrived", a guy wearing simple villager clothes and a pot of on his head emerged from a pillar, Steel Lance in hand, "How ya doing? Good to see you again, Chrom, although it's darn bad that you're on the wrong side".

"Wrong side? You're the one on the wrong side. Who put you up to this?", Chrom asked.

"I did", a familiar female voice said behind Donnel.

Donnel stepped aside as a girl wearing the exact same clothing as Robin appeared. In fact, they were nearly identical in everything. Hair colour, clothing, build, eye colour and everything else. The only difference between my Robin and this gender swap was the hair style and voice. Female Robin had two pigtails on the sides of her head and her voice was gentle, but at the same time, stern, contrasting Male Robin's suave and almost careless tone. However, both were serious when it came to directing battle.

Female Robin turned to Chrom, "Well met milord. I'm guessing you and my brother turned to the dark side?".

"I…", Chrom glared at Female Robin, "You're the one on the wrong side. What happened to you? Do you know that Embla is attacking Askr for the sole purpose of…", Chrom paused, "What was Embla's purpose to attack us again?".

"Don't remember. Probably to possess all the legendary heroes in the world for global conquest or something cliche like that", I shrugged.

"Anyhow, Embla is attacking the Askr kingdom. Why would someone like you join them? Your twin brother is already in our ranks. Please, join Askr for the benefit of the world", Chrom pleaded.

"Somebody's fond of Robin's sister", I murmured.

"Heh, heh, alright then", Female Robin's gold eyes turned dark red. She glowed with a dark aura, "Show me your true power, Prince Chrom!".

"What the-? We already sealed Grima! How are you still possessed?", Chrom backed up.

"You "sealed" me. Not "kill" me. There's still a small fragment of my soul in this girl. Foolish decision to let this girl stay alive to let your descendants deal with me. How incredibly selfish!", Female Robin said in a dark and ominous tone.

"I…", Chrom instantly regretted his decision now. He left Falchion in the training yard in the Ylissean castle and was training with a Silver Sword when he was summoned by me. Now he has to refight Grima, but without the Falchion. Was it even possible?

"L-lord Chrom?", Julia asked nervously.

"Yes Julia?", Chrom said.

"Is Robin possessed by some kind of dragon? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can sense it", Julia said.

"Yes, Robin here is possessed by the fell dragon Grima. Why you ask?", Chrom asked.

"My Naga tome has the power to dispel dragons, so I should be able to take down Robin", Julia said, fidgeting with her tome.

Chrom grinned, "Oh, you're a lifesaver Julia. Alright then, me and Seliph will guard while Julia launches Naga attacks. Is that a good plan Lucian?".

"For sure. Ready everyone? Let's do this!", I shouted.

The battle begun as an Emblian Bow Cavalier and a Troubadour galloped onto the battlefield. Chrom went ahead and smashed a pillar nearby, revealing Donnel behind it.

"Sorry bout this chief!", Donnel charged and thrust his Steel Lance at Chrom. Chrom sidestepped and banged his sword onto Donnel's pot helmet, making the villager stumble back.

"Julia, finish him off!", Chrom shouted.

"Naga!", Julia's tome blazed with light and a powerful pulse of draconic energy blasted Donnel off his feet.

"Chrom, arrow from the left!", I cried. An arrow launched towards Chrom's face and he blocked it with his blade. However, a giant spiritual green wolf head smashed through a broken wall and knocked Chrom to the ground. The dust settled and female Robin stood there, her Gronnwolf tome pulsing with dark green light.

"Gronnwolf!", Robin shouted in an echoing voice and the giant wolf head reappeared again, rushing towards Chrom and battering the prince over and over and over again.

"Julia, we have to stop this! I'll distract Robin and you launch Naga shots!", Seliph charged and slashed Robin in the shoulder with his Tyrfing.

"What?! Who are-"

"NAGA!", a huge transparent dragon rose behind Seliph and roared, louder than ever. A ball of white electricity formed in the dragon's mouth and it launched it at Robin, smashing into her chest.

"Gah!", Robin toppled to the ground, her dark aura growing weaker and flickering, "You… YOU…".

"Julia, end this now!", Chrom shouted weakly as he parried away arrows from the Bow Cavalier.

"Grima… the king of dragons Naga commands you to stop! If force is required, I will not hesitate to use it. NAGA!", the dragon rose again and roared, blasting Robin further away and weakening her aura.

"GAH! Naga… you always ruin EVERYTHING! I WILL PERSONALLY END YOU!", Robin got onto one knee, her face contorted into pure hatred, "But not now. I'll personally attend Naga's death later. Worst of luck to you!", and Robin vanished in a puff of dark smoke.

The Bow Cavalier turned his head in shock when Robin was defeated, but that gave Chrom the chance to slash the cavalier's horse in half and stab the archer through the chest, ending his life. The Troubadour began to retreat, but Seliph chased after it and killed her.

"Our last battle approaches", I said firmly, with false confidence in my voice, "Come along everybody. We're almost done here". Truth be told, I was glad that my Robin was defeated before coming here, as hard as that was to say. If he saw his sister like this, it will not go well.

Crossing Donnel's village to the north, we found a chasm with multiple bridges running over many ravines. Surrounding us by the right and north were two cavaliers, Chrom and Female Robin.

"You made it all this way? What a shame that people with your skills are fighting on the wrong side", the enemy Chrom said.

"Wrong side?! You're the one with Grima of all people on your team. How can you not see that?!", my Chrom shouted back.

"I do this to protect the Halidom of Ylisse. You'll get no further—not even with that talented tactician of yours. Because we have our own. Robin, lead us to victory. The Shepherds must get these villains to reverse course!", the enemy Chrom called.

"You are no way rational", my Chrom glared at the enemy Chrom, " **I'm** the protector of Ylisse. Not you, some imposter wannabe teaming up with Grima of all people!".

"Come at me then. Is this how you protect Ylisse? By getting summoned by an inferior tactician? Show me how you fight to protect your home, "imposter"!, the enemy Chrom shouted and drew his Silver Sword, "Sully, Stahl and Robin! Let's give them a fight to remember!".

All four of them charged at us at once. Julia blasted Naga all over the battlefield, making Sully topple like a bowling pin and Robin clutch her chest and head with pain. Stahl and Chrom weren't affected too hard by the attack though. The enemy Chrom dueled with my Chrom, but my Chrom was already weakened by Robin's Gronnwolf attacks from the last battle. The enemy Chrom slashed my Chrom in the chest, then stabbed him in the stomach, making him fade into gold light.

"Seliph! Hurry before Chrom attacks Julia!", I commanded.

Seliph cut his Tyrfing onto Chrom's shoulder, then kicked him in the chest, Sparta style. As Chrom backed away, clutching his shoulder, Stahl galloped forth, brandishing his Ruby Sword. Stahl's speed on his horse caught Seliph off guard and he was cut twice in a row by the sword cavalier. Stahl went for a third strike to the face, but the Tyrfing pulsed with orange light and a thin shield of energy enveloped Seliph, protecting him from Stahl's attack.

"Dragon GAZE!", Julia's Naga tome blazed with purple light and a gigantic, transparent, demonic-looking dragon rose out of the earth. It roared and the force was equivalent to an atom bomb. The Naga attack completely blew Stahl off his horse and he tumbled into the chasm. Chrom jumped in front of Robin as the attack was about to reach her and he crumbled to the ground, lifeless.

"NAGA, YOU END HAS COME!", Robin's dark aura growed bigger and darker, "GRONNWOLF!".

A huge green spirit wolf head lunged towards Julia, but the green mage took the hit well. Julia retaliated with a quick bolt of draconic lightning and Seliph finished the attack while Robin was stunned. Female Robin fell to her knees, the dark energy surrounding her weakening and fading.

"NO… THIS ISN'T THE END…", Robin growled.

"Give up Grima. Naga orders it", Julia said sternly, "Return to where you belong".

"KNOW THIS CHILD… I'LL… NEVER… DIE…", and Robin collapsed onto the ground, the dark aura finally expelling from her body and her red eyes returning to the normal gold.

"Finally… it's over", I said with a sigh of relief. We were about to leave when Chrom and Female Robin reappeared.

"I must thank you all for breaking the contract", Chrom said, "That witch of a princess, Veronica forced me to seal Grima instead of kill him and made me cooperate with it. Robin, I'm so sorry that you had to deal with all over again".

"Chrom… it's alright. You didn't have a choice, didn't you? I believe a thanks is the least we can give for these heroes", Robin said, "Order of Heroes, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for freeing me from Grima and freeing Ylisse from Embla's control. Now then, I must go… to find my brother".

"Wait, your brother is with us…", I began, but Robin and Chrom already disappeared magically.

When we made it back to the castle, Alfonse, Sharena and Anna greeted us.

"How did the mission go?", Alfonse asked.

"Embla is getting more powerful than ever", I said, "They even managed to enslave gods like Grima".

"This is worrisome, especially since…", Anna began, but decided not to mention it.

"Hm? What's going on?", I asked

"Well, I received a report that Embla is targeting the World of Mystery again, and they managed to capture the Scion of Naga, Tiki", Anna said gravely.

I sighed, "I'm going to take a nap. Seliph, take the orbs from the quest fountain and bring them up to my quarters. After that, feel free to rest and do whatever you want".

"I'll do that, sir", Seliph bowed and went to fetch the orbs from the quest fountain.

I went upstairs and flopped onto my bed. What a day that was. We began our expedition to the World of Awakening before noon and now it was sunset. Embla's power was increasing and I could feel it. We needed much more firepower than that we have now. But I don't have enough orbs to do a full summon session. Counting the daily two orbs from the delivery service plus the five Seliph was going to deliver meant I only had 7. If that wasn't bad enough, we had to go and fight this "Scion of Naga" Tiki tomorrow. I saw Naga's power through Julia's tome and if Tiki was the scion to Naga, she must be unimaginably powerful. I sighed, the stress was too much for me. I forgot to take a shower and laid down on my pillows, falling into a deep sleep.

 **Author's Note: So that's how I think the twin Robins would go down if it actually happened in Awakening. Both are born as a Heart of Grima, one is used and the other is taken by the mother to save them from being possessed. I know it sounds confusing, but that's what happens when avatar characters exist in the same game.**


	7. Chapter 5: Return to Mystery

A Summoner's Journey

Chapter 5: Return to Mystery

 _Current Heroes: Alfonse, Sharena, Anna, Virion, Eliwood, Caeda, Odin, Niles, Maria, Robin, Chrom, Lyn, Olivia, Nino, Seliph, Julia, Abel, Serra and Lon'qu_

I woke up early in the morning, when the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. I made my way out of my quarters, feeling sticky from not taking a shower and sleeping in my robes. Lazily, I went downstairs towards the mess hall to eat breakfast. The mess hall was emptier than usual. No surprise considering that it was 4 in the morning right now. The cooks were already preparing a buffet of breakfast for the servants, heroes and of course the royalty.

"Hey there Lucian. Up early today?', one of the cooks, Puston, said as I grabbed a plate.

"Yeah, went to bed early last night. So, what you got for us here?", I asked.

"The usual. Bacon, buttered toast, hard boiled eggs, blueberry and chocolate waffles, pancakes and the like. You know, standard breakfast food", Puston said.

"I see. Well, nice talking to you Puston. I'm going to dig in", I said, licking my lips in hunger.

"See ya later Lucian. Good luck on your expedition today", the cook smiled.

I went around and filled my plate with some waffles, pancakes, muffins, sausages and eggs. I filled up a glass with orange juice and sat down at the nearest table. Sooner than I expected, Robin came into the mess hall, grabbed a plate of food and sat across from me, eyeing me with a smile.

"You're up early", I said as I poked my fork into a sausage.

"Yeah well, I taught Nino reading last night and read a few books. I was tired from our fight in the World of Awakening, so I went to sleep early", Robin replied.

"Speaking of which, is your head okay?", I winced at the memory, "Cordelia speared your skull pretty hard".

"It feels better. In my world, an injury like that would've killed me", Robin said.

"No duh", I muttered.

"But here, it seems like we feel pain, but never die. Don't you find that fascinating?", the tactician said.

"I'm find it kinda tortuous actually…", I said, but decided not to continue. We ate in silence for a few minutes before I spoke again, "We met your sister in the World of Awakening".

"Really? How was she?", Robin asked curiously.

"I'd rather not say, but she was possessed by some being Chrom called "Grima"", I said, "It made her glow with a dark purple aura and she had blood red eyes".

"Ah…", Robin stared solemnly out the window, "I was afraid that would happen. You see, we were just fighting Grima before you summoned me. Embla's armies teleported onto the battlefield we were fighting and destroyed our forces, forcing the Chrom you fought yesterday to seal Grima away instead of kill him".

"And sealing Grima away allowed your sister to stay alive", I said, remembering what the enemy Chrom told us yesterday, "But she still had a fragment of Grima's soul, allowing him to possess her again".

"Yeah… it's been a problem since we were both born", Robin said distantly, passively picking at his pancakes with his fork, "Our father, the high priest of the Grima church in Plegia, Validar married a woman from the working class, our mother, Adaline. He married her in hope that one of his children will possess the Heart of Grima to be the vessal for the soul of the fell dragon. When we were born, I didn't have the heart, but my sister did. Adaline, fearing that Validar will sacrifice me to Grima and corrupt my sister, attempted to run away and take us with her. But Validar managed to take back my sister and twist her to become the vessel for Grima".

Robin paused, then looked at me, "Sorry, you must find this a bit too much to swallow".

"I'm already swallowing much", I said, gulping down my waffles, "But please continue Robin, your story is interesting".

"Very well. While on the run from Plegian Dark Mages, my mother ran all the way to Ylisse, where she pleaded for help. The current king accepted to give her aid and hired mercenaries to rout the Dark Mages pursuing my mother. She hid herself and me in a village and raised me as any mother would raise their child. However, many years later, a Plegian assassin killed my mother and Validar personally visited my village to ransack it. He found me and sealed my memories away, reaching out to pick me up and corrupt me the same way as my sister. Fortunately, an especially skilled mercenary snuck behind Validar and dealt a heavy blow to the Sorcerer's body, nearly cutting him in half. Validar fought back, but the mercenary ran through attack after attack, eventually forcing Validar to retreat. After Validar left, the mercenary collapsed in the dirt, surrounded by the burning fires of my home. I remember looking over him, crying. This man defended me to the bitter end, sacrificing his life for my survival. I wanted to know who he was, so then I can always remember his name, but he died before I could even open my mouth to ask. The pain of my hero dying made me collapse as well".

Robin stopped, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Robin… if you don't want to, you don't need to tell me", I said, reaching out to pat his shoulder.

"I'd rather not leave this story unfinished. Please forgive me", Robin sniffed and cleared his throat, "When I woke up, there was man and girl standing over me. The man said, "There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know", and he helped me up. I looked around. The village I lived and grew up in was no more. All the buildings were charred away and nothing was left but burned grass and the smoking remains of trees".

"Who was the man and girl? Do you remember?", I asked.

"The girl was named Lissa and the man…", Robin said, "... was Chrom".

"Cue gasp from me", I muttered, half jokingly, "But after Chrom found you, what happened?".

"He took me in as a tactician for his company called the Shepherds", Robin said, "Our adventures eventually took us to Plegia, where Validar was getting ready to infuse the soul of Grima into my sister. We launched a surprise attack at him and managed to rescue my sister. The Grima cultists followed us, bent on retrieving Robin back and Validar personally led the charge. Within our ranks, he awakened the soul of Grima inside Robin's body and resurrected the fell dragon with the help of the Binding Shield".

"Wait a second", I scratched my chin, "You call it the "Binding Shield". How does something with the word "bind" in it help raise a demonic dragon?".

"It's a double-ended effect", Robin explained, "The Binding Shield, with all the ancient orbs fused into it, can allow the wielder to perform the Awakening Ritual in order to increase the power of the legendary Falchion. On the other hand, it can be sacrificed to awaken god-like deities. It's that powerful".

"Whoa", I said, "So what happened after?".

"We killed Validar, then made our way to fight Grima", Robin said, "But without the power of the Binding Shield to power up Chrom's Falchion, it was difficult to slay my sister. We retreated to the nearest Naga shrine in Ylisse and prayed to the gods for help. Naga heard our prayer and blessed Chrom's Falchion to become the Exalted Falchion, granting it the power to defeat Grima".

"That sounds like the result of bad storytelling and translation", I said, "What was the point of the Binding Shield if you could just pray to Naga to bless your weapon? Why didn't Grima destroy all the Naga shrines so then nobody could do the Awakening Ritual or pray to him? Seriously, if this was video game or a book, the developers must be terrible at writing stories".

Robin looked at me, dumbfounded, "But it DID happen".

"I know it did, but it's still odd to me. There's so many plotholes", I pointed out as I finished my sausage, "So after Grima let you get away scot free, what happened after?".

"Naga transported us onto Grima's back and-"

"And you're telling me that Grima didn't just like, _flip over_ , to kill you guys?!"

"Robin was on his back as well and barrel-rolling would kill Grima's host"

I sighed, "Still stupid. Could he just let you guys fall, then catch Robin as well?".

"You forgot this is real life. All of us are glad that Grima isn't smart"

"Whatever. Continue"

"So Naga teleported us onto Grima's back and with the power of the Exalted Falchion, we managed to defeat Grima", Robin said, "But at the last second before we could kill him, Embla's armies descended onto the battlefield and defeated each and one of us, turning us into slaves. I managed to hold my own, but Veronica forced Chrom to seal Grima into the Falchion instead of killing him, sparing my sister's life. Before the Embla soldiers could finish me, you summoned me here".

"Wow… that's quite a life story", I said, finishing up my breakfast just as more people began to trickle into the mess hall.

"Yeah, it was pretty intense. I hope to be able to reunite with my sister one day", Robin said distantly, not even touching his food anymore.

"Uhh Robin, your food's getting cold", I pointed out.

"Hm? Oh, right", Robin laughed and continued to eat as I dropped my plate off at the bar counter for cleaning. I made my way to the library to read a book before assembling my heroes for the expedition back to the World of Mystery.

Anna was checking the mail delivered by Hedwig, who was renamed to Feh. Why it was renamed, I got no idea. Anna dropped vague hints to why Hedwig was renamed. Something about a channel apparently. Anyways, Anna checked the mail was usual, sorting through the boxes of Hero Feathers and the sack of orbs. She opened an envelope and pulled out a postcard, similar to the summoning focus banners. This card shown a man with blond hair and was wearing a strange maroon uniform along with a purple cape. He was riding a wyvern with a large double-bladed axe in his hand that had a gleaming emerald in the center. His name, in golden letters, was written on the bottom right. Narcian, the Wyvern General of Bern. Anna flipped to the back of card and instructions were written in elegant black pen.

" _Take this card through the portal to the World of Binding and be prepared for a hard fight. Remember this: if a single hero falls while in this brawl, the enemy hero and battlefield will fade away, leaving you with nothing. You will have the opportunity to restart as many times as you like, but know this: you can only attempt this challenge for a select amount of days. Best of luck to you"_

Anna glanced at the top of the card and the deadline was written in the same handwriting: 7 days after you receive this card, it'll vanish and you'll be unable to complete this challenge until you get another one. Be quick and careful with this Grand Hero Battle.

"Ooh, a Grand Hero Battle huh?", Anna smiled with interest, "That sounds fun. I'll go tell Lucian about this".

The redhead made her way towards the library and showed me the card.

"I think this is similar to the regular Hero Battle postcards we get", Anna said, "So if you beat Narcian in the World of Binding, we might be able to recruit him as an ally".

"That's nice, but could we wait a little later?", I asked, "Embla's attack on the World of Mystery needs to be dealt with right away".

"So why are you reading a book right now?", Anna asked skeptically.

"I'm waiting for Julia, Lon'qu and Maria to finish breakfast, then we're heading out", I said, "Just leave the card in my quarters, alright?".

An hour later, my heroes assembled in the lobby, ready to attack the World of Mystery. We leapt through the portal and ended up in a dreary mountainside. Two run down fortresses stood out in the clearing. All around us were peaks shaped like spears. There were four people waiting for us, two Emblian thieves, a old-looking priest and a man clad in dark red robes and had long brown hair. In his hand was a sharp katana.

"You're here, as expected", the man said. His voice was deep and as sharp as his blade, "Nothing against you, but I've been hired to do a job. So now, you'll die", and the man charged us.

"Robin, Lon'qu, attack the right side with the swordsman! Julia, hit the left and Maria, heal Julia when necessary. Go!", I commanded. The battle quickly escalated into chaos. The red swordsman, Navarre slashed Robin's body just as fast as Lon'qu did back in the World of Awakening. Robin took the hits better than last time and countered back with a strong Blarraven. While Navarre was stunned by the flock of blue ravens, Lon'qu cut at the swordsman's body twice, then stabbed him through the stomach with his Killing Edge. As Navarre collapsed to the ground, the thief dashed forward with inhuman speed and stabbed Lon'qu in the chest with a kunai-shaped knife. Lon'qu growled in pain and retaliated, slashing the thief away with his sword and allowing Robin to follow up with a swarm of ravens, smashing the thief to the ground. Without hesitation, Lon'qu grabbed the hilt of the kunai dagger and yanked it out from his chest, expelling a large cloud of blood.

"Holy Naga- mmph!", Robin held his mouth as if he was going to throw up.

"Holy hell, Lon'qu!", I stepped back in shock as Lon'qu threw the bloody dagger to the ground without any sign of pain, "Go get Maria. Just go get her. Like oh my god, there's a giant bloody hole through your chest".

Julia was just finished defeating the second thief and the old man named Wrys when Lon'qu came over to there side. Maria screamed and Julia looked behind her, nearly fainting at the sight.

"Heal me. Right now", Lon'qu said nonchalantly, as if an impalement through the chest was just a normal cut. Maria swallowed and rose her Mend staff, "Imbue!", and the hole in Lon'qu chest closed up, leaving only a hole in Lon'qu's ripped vest.

"We're done here. Let's continue on", the Feroxi swordsman said.

I shivered, trying to erase the memory of Lon'qu ripping the kunai out from his chest, "Y-yeah. Let's go".

We continued onwards until we found a large fortress in a clearing of a mountain range.

"According to Archanean history, this is Castle Deil, where Princess Maria of Macedon was held hostage for King Michalis to gain leverage over the famous Whitewing sister trio and Princess Minerva", Robin said, pointing to the fortress in front of them.

"I remember this place", Maria said, looking at the castle with curiosity rather than anger, "Michalis told me to stay put in this castle and locked me up so then I wouldn't be harmed in the war".

"Err… yeah. That totally happened", Robin smiled, "But anyways, Prince Marth and his army eventually marched into the castle, freed Maria, recruited Princess Minerva into their ranks along with the Whitewing sisters and killed Grustian general Zharov, who was tasked with guarding the castle".

"Prince Marth was so dashing when he unlocked my cell", Maria said dreamily, "He was like a glowing holy knight from my storybooks!".

"Right… so is there anybody here? The place looks barren", I said.

"It should be barren, since nobody used it since the War of Shadows", Robin said, "But something feels odd here. I can hear the sound of dragon wings flapping in the distance…".

Julia cocked her ear towards the castle, "I hear it too… the sound of wings… someone might be in there".

"Let's test it just to be sure", Robin let loose his storm of spirit ravens over a castle wall. A sharp, female voice grunted in alarm, but seem to have taken the attack just fine.

"There ARE people in there", I said, "But they are waiting for us to go in for them to ambush".

"When all else fails, blow the place apart. Julia?", Robin looked at the mage next to him.

"S-sir Robin… I'd rather not destroy buildings with Naga's power if we don't need to", Julia said softly.

"We just need you to break that part of the wall over there", Robin pointed to a part of the castle wall with a long crack down the center, "By breaking it, we'll be able to expose the enemy and take them down easier. So please Julia. I don't think magical birds can make a dent in such a fortified defense".

"Oh alright", Julia's Naga tome glowed with golden light, "Divine Dragon king Naga, show us your fury!". The familiar ghostly white dragon leaped off the pages of Julia's tome like a breaching whale. A ball of light and electricity gathered in it's mouth and shot it at the cracked wall, exploding the barrier into pieces. Julia dodged the incoming shrapnel as the ghost dragon returned to Julia's book. From the dust of the ruined castle wall stood four figures, an Emblian Sword Knight, an Emblian archer, a woman clad head to toe in red armor riding a dragon and a red haired cleric that looked exactly like Maria.

"So you found us out. Excellent tactic, breaking the wall to expose us like that", Minerva heaved her Silver Axe, "But now we must get to what we were told to do: kill you".

Minerva turned to the Sword Knight and bowman beside her, "You there! Move to the broken part of the castle wall and choke the point. Archer, stay behind the knight and snipe at anyone that gets close. I'll guard the entrance alone".

Without any reaction, the Emblian soldiers moved to guard the busted wall while Minerva flew to the entrance and blocked the whole part with her dragon, "Try to get by us now scoundrels".

"Lon'qu, distract Minerva at the entrance. Robin, engage the Sword Knight and bowman. Julia, assist Lon'qu and Maria, heal anybody when necessary. Let's go!", I issued my orders and everybody scattered. Lon'qu slashed at Minerva's waist, then stepped back as his Killing Edge glowed with purple light.

"Glimmer!", Lon'qu shouted and he leaped into the air. Minerva couldn't fly away fast enough and got triple-cut by Lon'qu's swift and powerful strikes. The princess of Macedon retaliated with a strong axe swing, but Lon'qu rolled out of the way into a pillar. Minerva's dragon swung it's tail in Lon'qu's direction and smashed the pillar in half, just as the swordsman was jumping out from it. Lon'qu brought his blade onto the dragon's wing, slicing it off. Blood gushed from the wound and the dragon roared in pain. Minerva was having trouble controlling it when it reared back, throwing it's rider off. The dragon went completely berserk, smashing castle walls and pillars into dust. Julia tried to cast Naga to kill it before it could surprise attack Robin, but Lon'qu did it for her. While Minerva was disoriented from being thrown off her mount, Lon'qu rushed up and stabbed her through the stomach, making her and her dragon fade into light.

Meanwhile, Robin was handling the Sword Knight and Archer just fine by himself. The archer's arrows bounced off him and the Sword Knight's strikes were slow and did marginal damage due to Robin's triangle advantage. The tactician unleashed a storm of ravens, smashing the knight to the floor and blinding the archer. Robin then glowed with orange light, "Bonfire!", and sent a flood of spirit ravens wreathed in orange flames towards the Emblian soldier, burning him to ash. We decided to spare the enemy Maria, as she couldn't fight and continued on.

Next, we arrived at a long cobblestone bridge spanning over a rushing river the size of a football field. Three islands were connected by this bridge and we were in the middle. A blond haired archer wielding a Silver Bow and an Emblian Lance Knight were waiting on the island on the North while a burly man with a Brave Axe and a Emblian archer guarded the Southern island. We were already surrounded before we even begun the fight.

"Barst", the blond archer called, "charge onto the bridge with this Lance Knight and force these invaders to stay on the middle island. Meanwhile, me and the Emblian archer will rain arrows on them from the sidelines".

"Wish Captain Ogma, Bord or Cord were with us right now", Barst said, heaving his Brave Axe, "I don't trust these Emblian knights one bit Jeorge".

"We don't have time to talk any longer. Go! Go before these ruffians cross Chiasmir", Jeorge said, nocking an arrow into his Silver Bow, poised to strike us. Barst and the knight charged onto the bridge to trap us.

"Julia, take out the Lance Knight, but watch out for Jeorge. Lon'qu, take down Barst. Robin, lure out both of the archers and take them down. Maria, stay away from the fight until both archers are defeated. Those are your orders. Go!", I commanded. My heroes rushed into position just as Barst and the Lance Knight made it towards our island. Lon'qu slammed his Killing Edge onto Barst's face, but the fighter managed to survive the hit and attack back, slashing Lon'qu twice with his Brave Axe. Julia was getting ready to cast Naga when Jeorge shot his arrow towards her, but Robin jumped in front of the mage and deflected the arrow with his Blarraven. The Lance Knight came marching onto our island and Julia blasted it full force with godly dragon magic. But as the knight burned to ash, Barst knocked back Lon'qu with his axe and charged towards Julia. The mage didn't notice until Barst slashed his axe over Julia twice, knocking her to the ground in a pool of blood.

"Futile. Give up!", Lon'qu lunged with blinding speed and stabbed Barst in the stomach with his Killing Edge, then slashed upwards and then over his shoulder. While Barst staggered away, Lon'qu unleashed his Glimmer attack and killed the axe fighter. Another arrow sailed towards Lon'qu, but a flock of ravens from Robin blocked them and rushed towards the archers on both sides, defeating them simultaneously. The battle was over, but Julia wasn't looking too good.

"Julia! Julia, are you alright?", Robin, Maria and I tried to patch up and heal Julia's wounds, but blood was pouring everywhere, giving her light indigo dress an ominous blood red hue.

"I-I'm… sorry…", Julia said weakly, then she faded into light, similar to the defeated heroes we just fought. I rose, my hands shaking and covered in wet blood.

"Well… I guess we continue on. We'll give Embla more time by going back", I said. Everyone nodded solemnly and we marched across Chiasmir bridge to our next destination. Next, we arrived on an open field surrounded by trees and mountains.

"According to the book, "Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon", this is Macedon, the place where King Michalis, Princess Minerva and Princess Maria are from. Specifically, this is the place where Chapter 21 of the book, "Clash in Macedon", takes place", Robin said.

"Lots of space, plenty of room for soldiers and no place to take cover or choke a point", I said, looking around the empty field, "It'll be hard to fight in this place without casualties".

We were about to leave since there were no enemies, but Lon'qu stared intently at the fortress ahead.

"Lon'qu? Is there something wrong?", Maria asked.

"I hear… flapping. Flapping of a pegasus. There are three of them", Lon'qu mused, then he drew his sword.

Three pegasus knights flew out from the fort, with a fearsome Axe Knight tromping behind them. One of them was a swordswoman with long green hair wielding a sword with a red ruby set in the crossguard. The second was a woman with short blue hair wielding a Killer Lance and the third was a smaller girl with short pink hair that held a jousting sort of lance. I recognized the swordswoman and the blue-haired girl from before.

"You're Palla and Catria. You attacked us back at Askr!", I cried.

"And here you are again, invading our world this time", Palla said with a stern tone, "Back then we weren't able to defeat you, but the Whitewings together can beat down any foe. Ready Catria, Est?".

"I'd like a little payback for you defeating Lady Minerva twice", Catria's Killer Lance gleamed sharply in the afternoon sunlight.

"Palla and Catria may have lost to you, but when we are all together, no one can beat us. We'll show you the power of our Triangle Attack!", Est cheered, raising her jousting spear.

Palla pointed her Ruby Sword at us, "Whitewings, attack!".

The three pegasus knights charged towards our group. Palla was dueling with Lon'qu while Robin dealt with Catria and Est. The loss of Julia really hurt as both Est and Catria were lance wielders, which meant Julia could of had a field day here. Now, Robin was slowly wearing down the pegasus sisters with his magic while Maria stayed back and healed with her Physic staff. While Est charged and stabbed Robin through the gut with her spear, Catria flew higher up and glowed with faint purple light, ready to unleash a special attack.

"New Moon!", Catria charged full speed while a vision of a dark sky burned into the air. Catria struck Robin hard, leaving a gaping, bleeding wound on his chest.

"Here's how it's done!", Robin's tome was lit ablaze by magical orange flames, "Bonfire!". A flood of spirit birds wreathed in fire swarmed Est and knocked her off her pegasus, defeating her. While Robin was dealing with Est however, Catria lunged with her Killer Lance towards his face. Robin was fortunately able to dodge and Maria topped him off with a Imbue-powered Physic. Meanwhile, the duel between Lon'qu and Palla was equal on both sides. Both had specials attacks and both were blazing fast. Palla urged her pegasus to fly back a bit.

"Moonbow!", she shouted and she lunged with her Ruby Sword towards Lon'qu in a sweeping motion, slicing the grass before her and piercing Lon'qu's defense, who attempted to parry the attack with his own sword.

"Glimmer!", Lon'qu lunged towards Palla and launched three powerful strikes with his blade. Palla screamed in pain, but managed to smack the flat of her Ruby Sword onto Lon'qu's head. The swordsman stumbled back, clutching his head with his hand and Palla rushed in to stab Lon'qu with her sword when a flock of ravens smashed her off her pegasus. While Palla was flying in the air, Lon'qu jumped and cut her body in half, spilling a ton of blood and dropping the broken carcass of Palla onto the ground with a chilling thud. Maria shut her eyes tightly as she raised her Physic to heal Lon'qu and Robin. Palla's body and her pegasus faded afterwards. All that was left was the Axe Knight, but the combination of Lon'qu's sword and Robin's magic brought the knight down easily. With all the enemies gone, we continued onwards.

Finally, we found ourselves in a large valley with a towering black castle in the distance. The air felt tense and somewhat unnatural, as if an unreal substance was in the area.

"Looks like we're in the country of Dolhr, the nation of Manaketes", Robin said, looking around the old forts and dead grass, "This is the setting for Chapter 24 of Shadow Dragon, "Dragonkin Realm".

The place looked barren until a little girl ran up to us. She had light green hair tied up in a ponytail, was dressed in a short pink dress and had a large yellow crown shaped like a dragon's head on her head.

"Are you the bad people Veronica warned us about?", the girl asked.

"No, no, we aren't bad people. Veronica's the evil one here", I said gently.

"YOU!", Minerva flew over the mountainside and nearly decapitated me with her Hauteclere, but Lon'qu blocked the axe with his sword at the last second.

"Tiki, don't listen to them, they are lying!", Minerva shoved Lon'qu back with powerful force and tossed her axe in the air, "Moonbow!".

Minerva caught her axe, then smashed it onto Lon'qu's head, defeating him instantly.

"They are the ones invading our world. We must defeat them!", the princess cried, her axe dripping with Lon'qu blood.

"No! You're wrong!", I shouted back, "Veronica twisted you. She's using you to fight us! We're here to free you from Embla's grasp!".

"Be quiet, or I'll make you be so", Minerva growled, "Tiki, will you help me drive the invaders away?".

"B-but I can't control myself if I have to fight. All I'll do is kill. I don't want that!", Tiki pleaded, her bright green eyes shining in the sunlight with tears, "I'm sure we can resolve this without fighting".

"I've had enough of this", Robin cast Blarraven and knocked back Minerva, "The only way to free you guys from Embla's contract is to defeat you in battle. So let's go already!".

Minerva smiled, "Impatient aren't you?".

"Yeah, we've been here for over 5 hours already. I'm starting to really tire. Now, Blarraven!", a swarm of blue ravens burst out from Robin's tome, but Minerva plowed through the attack and defeated Robin in a single hit. I quickly realized that I only had Maria left to fight and Minerva just defeated Lon'qu and Robin in a single strike.

"Maria, follow me! We gotta get out of here!", I shouted and the cleric nodded and raced behind me.

"Not so fast!", Minerva flew by on her dragon and slashed her Hauteclere at Maria's back, defeating her instantly, despite Maria being her younger sister.

"Now it's your turn", Minerva's dragon loomed over me, her axe stained with the blood of my heroes. I stared in dread and horror when a portal opened behind me. Minerva's glowering expression turned to shock as Seliph leaped into the air and smashed his Tyrfing full force onto her. Minerva retreated back a little, with a giant gash on her waist and on her dragon. I looked behind me in shock. The portal shown the Askr portal courtyard and around me were Seliph, Nino, Abel and Sharena.

"What the- How did you get here?", I asked, surprised.

"You were gone for longer than we thought, so we came to check on you", Sharena winked at me, "So we went into the portal for the World of Mystery and we found you here! Good thing we came right?".

"Thank you all for coming to my aid", I said, glad that my heroes saved my life, "Alright, let's defeat the enemy and liberate the World of Mystery for good!".

Everyone cheered and Minerva gritted her teeth.

"Tiki, no more games. We have to fight", the wyvern rider said.

"Oh alright. If you insist", Tiki pulled out a gleaming blue dragonstone and bright light enveloped her. All my heroes stopped to star as a large gray dragon took the little manakete's place.

"RROOARRR!", Dragon Tiki expelled a gigantic plume of fire and everyone darted out of the way to dodge it. The flames burned the grass into ash and charred the back of my robe. Seliph charged and slashed his Tyrfing over Tiki's body. The legendary blade managed to make a sharp cut in Tiki's draconic skin, but the manakete shown no reaction. It gathered a large fireball in it's mouth and blasted it towards Seliph. Seliph dived out of the way as the fireball made a huge explosion when it hit the ground. Seliph landed on the ground rough, but he got up instantly once he saw Minerva charging at him with her Hauteclere. Seliph assumed a defensive stance with his sword across his face when Minerva smashed into him at 30 miles an hour like a speeding car. Tiki looked to aim another fireball towards Seliph, so Abel charged and stabbed Tiki twice with his Brave Lance, then retreated. Tiki blew a plume of flames towards Abel and the cavalier rose his shield in defense.

"Holy Vestments!", he shouted and his shield illuminated with blue light. The flames crashed into the metal shield, but it managed to hold together and not melt under the heat. Meanwhile, Minerva and Seliph were dueling, sword to axe near a mountainside, but Seliph was quickly losing.

"Moonbow!", Minerva charged towards Seliph and shattered his defensive position. Seliph fell to the ground, but quickly got up, blood coming out from his mouth and waist. Minerva went for another attack, but Seliph's Tyrfing formed a shield around him and Minerva's axe bounced off. Seliph took the opportunity and dealt a heavy blow to Minerva's chest. Nino had to help out before Seliph was overpowered. She opened her tome and raised her hand into the air.

"Gronnblade!", a shower of giant wind blades came falling from the sky like an avalanche on top of Minerva. The swords surrounded Minerva in a circle, then exploded, sending the wyvern rider crashing into a mountain. Minerva and her dragon slid down the cliffside and laid in a heap, then faded away into light. Seliph wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead, then ran to help Abel and Sharena.

Sharena and Abel were using hit-and-run tactics against Tiki. They would attack first, then quickly run back before Tiki could shoot more of those explosive fireballs. Problem was, whenever Tiki attacked, a thin orange shield would surround her body, blocking some of Abel and Sharena's counterattacks. Seliph stopped next to Abel, panting and rose his Tyrfing.

"Rally Speed!", a thin pulse of blue energy expelled from the Tyrfing surrounded Abel and made him go faster. He galloped towards Tiki and stabbed her four times in a row with his lance. Tiki groaned under the pressure and began to attack and move slower.

"Found your weak spot!", Sharena pivoted on one foot and slashed her lance upwards like a halberd at the dragon's neck, then stabbed downwards onto Tiki's stomach. Tiki roared and tried to strike with another fireball, but Seliph struck with a decisive stab to the chest with his Tyrfing. The dragon roared in pain and collapsed onto the ground, turning back into a little human girl. Then, she faded into golden light.

"Finally… it's over", Seliph breathed a sigh of relief and flopped onto the ground. Everyone else did the same after.

"I can't believe it. That was the hardest fight we have ever experienced so far", I mused, looking around the scorched grass and mountain sides stained with blood. We rested for a while until Minerva and Tiki appeared to us in a flash of light, without weapons as usual.

"You beat me? Thanks to you, I'm back to my normal self! Even better—now I don't need to fight anymore!", Tiki said cheerfully, smiling at Minerva, who wasn't glaring at us anymore.

"Yes. I would like to thank you for freeing the World of Mystery", Minerva bowed, "Veronica took my greatest trait - pride - and turned it into something that drives me to unnecessary hostility and revenge. For that, I am sorry to have almost killed you".

"Hey, no problem. We all managed to live in the end", I smiled, "We gotta leave now. I hope to see you again. It would be great for a warrior of your power to be on our side".

Minerva gave me a faint smile, "One day, it might happen. Farewell, Order of Heroes".

We left the World of Mystery and ended up back in the Askr portal courtyard, where everyone was waiting for us. When we emerged from the portal, they exploded in cheer.

"Thanks the gods you're back and safe", Alfonse grinned at me, "You had all of us worried when Robin, Julia, Maria and Lon'qu appeared in the lobby".

We all went into the castle and had a victory feast, congratulating Seliph, Abel, Sharena and Nino for their bravery. I approached Anna, Alfonse and Sharena during the feast.

"You know, why don't we just guard the gateways to the other worlds? We already had to go and liberate like, five worlds and Embla can always go back and conquer it more", I said.

"We try to guard the gateways, but there are too many of them to guard and far too many Embla soldiers to hold off", Sharena replied, then sighed, "I wish that Askr royals can close the gateways"

"The royal powers to open and close the portals are meant to work together. If we had the power to close the gateways, the advantage will simply shift to Embla. And we'll still be stuck in this struggle", Alfonse pointed out.

Sharena gasped, "That'll be EVEN worse! We'll have to check ALL the gates, not just the ones we opened!".

"You can say we got the advantage with being able to open gateways and summon heroes, but this war will go on for eternity until both powers learn to cooperate together. Unfortunately, cooperation isn't one of Veronica's traits", Anna said.

"Who knows if the attack on the World of Mystery was a diversion? Embla could be planning anything right now", Alfonse said, "We need to find out what's going on. Fast"

 _To be continued..._


	8. Grand Hero Battle: Narcian

A Summoner's Journey

Grand Hero Battle: Narcian

 _Current Heroes: Alfonse, Sharena, Anna, Virion, Eliwood, Caeda, Odin, Niles, Maria, Robin, Chrom, Lyn, Olivia, Nino, Seliph, Julia, Abel, Serra and Lon'qu_

The next morning I took the postcard Anna left for me on my desk and went downstairs to eat breakfast as usual. Today, I planned to fight the "Wyvern General Narcian" in the World of Binding. I already planned out with Robin and Alfonse last night in the library who to bring into this fight. Drawn onto the back of the card was a picture of the units appearing in the hero battle. There were a Blue Mage Cavalier and a Brave Bow archer surrounding Narcian, while a swordsman waited on the intersection to the mountain valley we were fighting on and a green mage cavalier waited behind him. Thanks to Robin's Blarraven being able to deflect daggers and arrows no problem, I planned to put him in front of the mountain path to draw the swordsman's attention while also provoking the Blue Mage Cavalier. Narcian would follow over the mountains and I could use Lyn or Seliph to strike him down as according to Robin, who read "The Weapons of Embla and Askr", the Emerald Axe Narcian carries makes him super weak to swords and red magic, but extremely strong against lances and blue tomes users. After the swordsman and Narcian is defeated, I'll use Lyn or Seliph to take out the Green Mage Cavalier and end the fight, hopefully getting Narcian on my side as well. I decided to take my orbs and summon a couple new allies just to make our fight easier.

Loading the Breidablik, I noticed that there were three gray orbs and two red orbs in the circle this time. I did the usual and summoned, filling the ruins with blinding white light. When the light faded, a pink haired girl wearing a black maid outfit adorned with dark feathers was standing there, Silver Dagger in hand and a silver tea platter in the other.

"My name is Felicia and I'm one of the very best maids in the Kingdom of-", the maid introduced herself, but stumbled forward clumsily, dropping her tea tray in the process, "Whoa! Sorry… dropped my tea tray".

The next summoning got me a blond archer that I saw back in the World of Mystery. His uniform was fancy and red, with a crimson scarf around his neck and a quiver full of arrows tied to his waist. He was wearing leather gloves and in his hand was a Silver Bow.

"I am Jeorge, an Archanean archer and strategist. I'm not sure if I got much to offer you, but you have my aid", the archer said.

I smiled, "I could use another tactician. Welcome aboard you two!".

After Jeorge and Felicia, I summoned a slender girl with long black hair, wearing a short pink ninja uniform and a short dagger in her hand, stained with faint purple poison.

"My name is Kagero, a ninja from Hoshido. You have a mission for me? Then I'll serve you in the shadows", the ninja said, then vanished into thin air.

I looked around me, bewildered, "Where did she go?".

Then, Kagero reappeared behind me, "Nothing personal kid".

After nearly backhanding Kagero in the face, I continued my summoning. The red orb got my a young girl wearing a teal tunic along with a thin white jacket. In her hand was a sheathed katana Killing Edge.

"I'm Fir! I aspire to master the sword and travel all over to find sparring partners", the girl said.

I rolled my eyes, "Yippee, another sword user…".

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Welcome to the Order of Heroes. Stand behind me. I gotta summon on this last stone"

Fir walked behind me and I aimed the Breidablik at the last glowing red stone. A bright light flashed in the ruins and another girl appeared. This one was wearing long purple robes and had similarly long purple hair. In her hand was a dark purple tome with golden patterns.

"I am… Sophia. I am - Sorry, I get a little winded - I'm a priestess in the Nabata desert", the girl said softly.

"Cool. I can use more magic users", I smiled, which earned me a surprised look from Fir, "Welcome to the Order of Heroes, Sophia!".

I took my five new heroes back to Askr and Robin looked them over, wondering if they can be incorporated into the strategy to defeat Narcian.

"Jeorge would be a good idea to bring, as his Silver Bow has more power than Niles's Killer Bow. Plus, Narcian is a flier, so arrows can take him down easily", Robin said, "Felicia seems to be extremely resistant to magic, so she'll be good to take down those two horse magicians".

"You can handle the Brave Bow archer next to Narcian, since your tome is good against bows, daggers and staves somehow", I put in, "So we got Jeorge, Felicia and you so far. Who's the last person?".

"I can handle both the swordsman and the archer, but we should bring someone with a lance or blue magic as our fourth member, just to take down the swordsman in case I'm busy with the archer", Robin replied, "Kagero works as well, since her Poison Dagger's effective against both of them".

"I want to get this done as fast as possible, so let's bring Sharena as our back up lancer", I decided, "Jeorge and Felicia! Wait for me in the lobby until I come back with Sharena!".

"Yes sir!", the two nodded and headed out of the library. I went to go grab Sharena from the training yard and met with my heroes in the lobby. I took my Narcian Grand Hero Battle postcard and led my heroes into the World of Binding.

When we arrived, the postcard glowed in a bright blue. In front of us was a huge mountain wall obscuring the valley where Narcian and his troops were supposed to be.

"It'll be tough shooting my arrows that high", Jeorge observed, gazing at the mountain thoughtfully.

"If I can't see my target, then I can't cast magic through the hill", Robin said, looking towards the passage on the western side of the valley, "The hill over there looks low. Jeorge can probably make the shot from there".

"One problem", I said, "The swordsman is patrolling that area and Narcian's troops are likely behind this mountain wall. Attack the swordsman and Narcian's men are surely coming in to ambush".

"I guess we just go in and rely on our instinct", Felicia put in, "I mean, it shouldn't be that hard, right?".

Robin sighed, "I would contradict you for that statement about instinct, but we don't want to linger here too long. Let's just get to the fight".

"Hey Narcian!", Sharena shouted, "Are you here?".

"Ah, here are some visitors!", a wyvern-riding man holding a large Emerald Axe flew over the mountain wall, casting a dark shadow over us, "Come to challenge me?".

"Yes in fact", Jeorge nocked an arrow and shot it towards Narcian, but a huge bolt of lightning fried the arrow into ashes.

"Now, now, you lowly worms. No need to be so testy. All you need to do is beat me and all my troops in this valley. If you do that, that is if you CAN, then I'll join you as an ally. Deal?", Narcian rose his axe, "I take your silence as yes! Let's begin the fight!".

Narcian flew back over the wall as his troops yelled out a war cry and took their positions in the valley. I sent everyone towards the western passage, Robin first, Jeorge behind him and Sharena and Felicia trailing at their feet. The swordsman saw Robin and swung his massive Armorslayer at the tactician's face, nearly cleaving it in half. Robin expertly dodged the clumsy swing and sent out a swarm of spirit ravens in response, blinding the soldier and making him stagger back. Jeorge shot his bow and the swordsman was defeated with an arrow through his chest. The Blue Mage Cavalier galloped from behind the mountain and launched an extreme bolt of lightning towards Jeorge.

"Watch out! That's the tome Thoron!", Robin shouted as him and Jeorge darted out of the way. Felicia dashed forward and threw her Silver Dagger with utmost precision towards the mage. The mage stumbled back at little, allowing Felicia to fling another knife towards his chest, destroying the mage's only defense. Sharena lunged forward and stabbed the mage through the chest with her Silver Lance, taking him down. A spiral of wind rocketed towards her and Sharena jumped out of the way in time. Once again, Felicia took the magical hits well and retaliated with a series of expert dagger throws.

"Felicia might be clumsy as a maid, but she's incredible with a knife", Robin commented.

"Yeah, remind me not to get on her bad side", Jeorge readied his arrow and shot it towards the Green Mage Cavalier, knocking him to the ground with an arrow through his head.

Finally, Narcian and his archer were left. Narcian flew straight towards us, his Emerald Axe gleaming sharply in the sunlight.

"Robin, Sharena! Don't let Narcian attack you! Retreat to the back!", I called. Both of them obeyed and dashed to the back just as Jeorge unleashed two arrows towards Narcian. Felicia threw her dagger from the cover of trees, but the Silver Dagger bounced off of Narcian's dragon's hide. I read up on Weapons and Skills in Askr before. The Emerald Axe and all other gem weapons, grant the user the skill Triangle Adept 3, which means that Narcian is incredibly good against blue units like Robin and Sharena. But at the same time, he's terrible against sword and red magic users.

I mentally slapped myself in the head, "Should of brought Lyn, Seliph or hell, even Alfonse".

Meanwhile, Jeorge managed to evade Narcian's attack quite well with Felicia distracting him and lowering his guard with her dagger throws. After a couple more shots from his bow, Narcian was shot down from his wyvern and crashed onto the ground, fading into light like other defeated heroes. Once Narcian was defeated, Robin walked into the valley and killed the archer easily. The hard battle against Narcian was over.

After the fight, Narcian appeared to us in a flash of light, with an Iron Axe in hand.

"You seem a person worthy of my strength. Very well! I'll add myself to your ranks. Do not waste my talents", Narcian said.

"Thank you. Welcome to the Order of Heroes" I said, smiling.

Sadly, Narcian was only a gray two star when we defeated him. He came with an Iron Axe, Steel Axe, Emerald Axe, Emerald Axe+, Vengeance, Lancebreaker and Savage Blow. A good skillset, but it'll take a lot to make him on par with my other heroes. Upon returning to Askr castle, Anna reported that Embla was attacking the World of Birthright now. Robin told me he wasn't tired from the fight with Narcian, so I assembled my squad of Robin, Lyn, Nino and Serra and prepared to march into the glowing red portal of the World of Birthright.

To be continued…

 **A pretty short part this time around, since it only covered Narcian's Grand Hero Battle. Don't worry though, as I am working on World of Birthright shortly after. Enjoy the story and thank you for all the favorites, reviews and follows throughout the series. It means a lot to me.**

 **\- SharpEyLogic (Heroes ID: 6977989459)**


	9. Chapter 6: World of Birthright

A Summoner's Journey

Chapter 6: World of Birthright

 _Team for this chapter: Robin, Lyn, Nino and Serra_

 _Heroes gained last chapter: Felicia, Jeorge, Kagero, Fir, Sophia and Narcian_

Walking through the crimson red portal of the World of Birthright led us to an area with a large chasm and several swaying wooden bridges. An old fort was ahead of us, but standing in our way was a fearsome swordsman wearing bright red samurai armor. I restrained the urge to laugh because the guy sorta looked like a lobster. The next was an archer with long grayish hair tied in a ponytail. He was wearing colours different from the rest of the enemies here, blue and gray in contrast to the other's red and gold. The third was a pegasus knight wearing a white and red tunic and riding skirt, complete with short red hair and a Silver Lance in her hand. Finally, the fourth of our enemy group was a healer with short red hair and was wearing a short red and white cleric robe.

"Please drop your weapons everyone!", Nino called, "You are being mind controlled by Veronica and we want to stop it before there is more bloodshed!".

"What's that you say?", the swordsman drew his Silver Sword, "My realm is being controlled by forces from another world? Pah, I've heard that excuse before".

"The Kingdom of Hoshido is protected from invasion by our queen", the archer said sternly, "I'm not sure how you got into Hoshido but know this, our family will force you to leave!".

"Well said Takumi", the swordsman said, "Ready Hinoka, Sakura? Let's show these invaders how Hoshido deals with Nohrian spies!".

"You got it Ryoma. We're ready to fight!", Hinoka rose her Silver Lance into the air and vaulted towards us, beginning the brawl.

"Nino! Intercept Hinoka coming towards us with your magic! Robin, stand on the bridge to my left and block Takumi and Ryoma. Lyn, support Robin when necessary and Serra, stay behind and heal when needed!", I commanded and my troops scattered to fight.

Nino sent a spiral of wind swords towards Hinoka and the pegasus knight reared back in pain. The mage then sent a second volley of blades and vaporized Hinoka into light. Takumi nocked an arrow into his Silver Bow and fired, but Robin's Blarraven made the arrow bounce off him. Robin shot a powerful Blarraven back and Takumi was knocked to the ground, but still alive. Ryoma came rushing towards him and Robin quickly smacked his tome into the swordsman's face and swapped positions on the bridge with Lyn. Ryoma shook off his shock and launched himself at Lyn. Ryoma's swings were swift and powerful. Lyn could hardly parry them back, despite having the better weapon. Ryoma's Silver Sword made a large cut at Lyn's leg and she shot back with two quick strikes with her Sol Katti. However, Takumi came in to assist Ryoma thanks to Sakura healing him and Lyn got an arrow stuck in her hip.

"Robin! Hold them off! I need to heal!", Lyn shouted, blood trickling out of her mouth. Robin grabbed Lyn by the shoulder and pulled her behind him to Serra and faced down Ryoma and Takumi. Robin could feel Bonfire ready to unleash, but Ryoma was faster. He glowed with purple light and shouted, "Night Sky!", bombarding Robin was incredibly fast attacks. Robin staggered back, cuts covering his entire body. The injuries triggered his other skill, Defiant Speed. Robin's body was lit in a bright white aura and he destroyed Ryoma with a Bonfire-charged Blarraven. Takumi launched another arrow at the tactician, but Robin swiftly dodged it and took him down in two hits. Meanwhile, Serra healed up Lyn and the swordswoman charged down the bridge where Nino was to defeat Sakura, who was shooting Assault magic from her Physic staff towards Robin. Robin countered back with his magic, but Sakura showed a great deal of resistance to it. That is, until Lyn snuck behind her and stabbed her Sol Katti through Sakura's back, ending her life and the battle.

After the fight, Ryoma reappeared without his weapon.

"Looks like I underestimated the power of you strangers. I must retreat and regroup sadly. For the sake of our people, we cannot let Hoshido fall into the hands of the invaders!", Ryoma declared and he dashed back through the forest. We followed where Ryoma went until we found ourselves in a large port town. No citizens were around, just the quiet sound of waves splashing the deck and ships bopping lazily in the water. A partition made out of cobblestone was in front of us, presumingly to block pirates from invading the port. This place was quiet, but something felt wrong. I heard a bowstring draw and spotted a glowing blue arrow rocketing towards my way. Robin also noticed and sent a cloud of ravens to intercept it.

"Aw, the little Nohrian scum avoided my arrow? How interesting", Takumi came out from a wall to the left and smiled darkly at me, his hand ready to nock another arrow in his Fujin Yumi, "When I said that we'll force you to leave, I mean it. Now that has turned into killing you. No hard feelings".

He turned to his troops beside him, "Hinata, Oboro, block the chokepoint if they break the partition. While you're doing that, me and Saizo will pick off the enemy with our weapons and snipe that summoner dead. Got it?".

"As you command Lord Takumi", Oboro grinned, "Come along Hinata".

Hinata drew his Ruby Sword excitingly, "Ah, this'll be fun. Let's do this!".

The two stationed themselves in front of the stone barrier and we began our fight. Robin took advantage of the stone barrier and shot Blarraven at both Hinata and Oboro, severely weakening them. Oboro quickly realized what was going on and smashed the partition in one thrust of her Heavy Spear, allowing Hinata to go through. Lyn dashed in front of Robin to intercept Hinata while the tactician blocked more arrows coming in from Takumi. Lyn dueled with Hinata, sword to sword, but Hinata was surprisingly bulky on defense. Lyn's Sol Katti barely made a dent in Hinata's armor and it only got more harder to kill him as time went by. Hinata landed several hard blows on Lyn and triggered her Defiant Attack, making her glow with a fiery red aura. Lyn gritted her teeth in anger and her Sol Katti blew up in purple flames.

"Astra!", Lyn shouted and leaped high into the air.

"Pavise!", Hinata called and a thick blue shield enveloped the swordsman just as Lyn unleashed a incredibly flurry of sword strikes. The shield blocked all of Lyn's powerful strikes and only hurt Hinata a little, like a mosquito to an elephant.

"Nino, can you help me out here?", Lyn dodged a Ruby Sword strike from Hinata and countered back, barely scratching his shoulder. Serra's Recover staff glowed with bright light, healing some of Lyn's wounds.

"Gronnblade!", Nino finished off Oboro, then shot another volley of magic swords towards Hinata. Hinata staggered back from the attack and Nino cast her spell again, bombarding Hinata with powerful wind blades.

"It's time to end this!", Lyn dashed forward, enveloped by her Defiant Attack aura and smashed her Sol Katti onto Hinata's chest, shattering his armor and cleaving him in half. Lyn stopped to take a breather before Robin shouted in the distance.

"Lyn! Get away quick! Arrow and dagger incoming!", the tactician shouted.

Lyn instinctively backed away, but Takumi's arrow caught her all too quickly. Lyn crumbled to the ground lifeless as she faded away like any defeated hero.

Robin glared towards Takumi, who was getting ready to fire another arrow, "That's it. You're all going to die". His whole body glowed with orange fire and he shouted, "Bonfire!", sending a cloud of fiery ravens towards Takumi. The birds crashed into the Hoshidan prince, taking him down in one hit. The field seemed clear of enemies, but suddenly, a kunai dagger pierced Serra's leg and she fell to the ground with a yelp. Another came flying towards her chest, but Robin sent a swarm of ravens to stop it. Nino launched five wind blades at the direction of the dagger and destroyed a tall wooden fence, revealing a ninja with red hair and was wearing a dark blue ninja outfit with a matching colour scarf. The ninja said nothing and flung a knife towards Nino, but Robin jumped in the way and blocked it with his body. The kunai sunk into Robin's stomach and suddenly, he fell to his knees, his face contorted with pain.

All of us backed away in shock. "What the- Robin! Are you okay?", I cried.

"Poison Strike. Now to finish the job", the ninja armed himself with another knife and flung it with expert precision towards Robin's wheezing body. Luckily, Robin activated his Defiant Speed, making a light blue aura burst around his feet. He sidestepped quickly and the dagger missed his head by an inch.

"Blarraven!", Robin summoned a flood of ravens from his tome to bombard the ninja. At the same time, Nino rained down blades of wind and each of them exploded upon contact with the ground or a body. A sword struck the ground nearby the ninja's feet and he crashed into the wall of a house nearby, sliding down lifelessly and fading away. I glanced around for more enemies, but there were none. The battle was over, so we moved on, unfortunately without Lyn.

We ended up in a cherry blossom forest outside the walls of a huge Japanese-escue castle. Robin and Nino were able to treat Serra's wound in her leg with the use of the First Aid kit Alfonse gave me. She had a hard time walking, but she could still stand and heal at least.

"Told you I was helpless…", Serra muttered as she rose her Recover to heal Robin and Nino, who were my only attackers at this point. We were resting under a tall cherry tree when the sound of pegasus wings flapping filled the air. We looked behind us and found two pegasus knights, an archer and a male cleric waiting for us.

"Looking to approach Castle Shirasagi aren't you?", Hinoka's Brave Lance gleamed in the bright sunlight of Hoshido, "Invaders like you won't get away so easily".

"Aw, dammit. Should of brought Niles or Jeorge with me", I said, gesturing at my heroes to get up and prepare to fight.

"Only two mages and a healer? How incredibly sad", the monk smiled gleefully, "On Lady Hinoka's behalf, I would like to ask you to drop your weapons and surrender. Wouldn't want to get your little band of spies hurt".

"We came here to liberate you from Embla's rule, not to surrender", Robin's expression was harder than ever, "We'll fight till the end. Won't we Lucian?".

"Absolutely. We'll continue fighting no matter what. Let's go!", I shouted and the battle begun. Since we lost Lyn in the fight against Takumi, I sent Robin to tank the enemy in front of us with Nino behind him. Hinoka charged with her Brave Lance, striking with two powerful hits, but Robin managed to survive and Nino shot her down quickly with Gronnblade. As Robin fell back to get healed by Serra, the other pegasus knight, Subaki flew towards the exposed Nino and slashed the point of his Sapphire Lance in her face. Nino stumbled back, but wasn't too hurt surprisingly. The mage summoned five wind swords and launched them like cannonballs towards Subaki in the air, striking him and his pegasus hard. Serra healed Robin's wounds and he got back into the fight just as the archer, Setsuna, launched an arrow from her Assassin's Bow towards Nino. A flock of ravens rose to deflect the arrow and when the magic died down, Setsuna and Subaki were found impaled on two wind blades from Nino. All that was left was the monk, Azama. Azama did the smart thing and fled from the fight, allowing us to proceed towards the Hoshidan castle.

Scaling the ridiculously tall mountain towards Castle Hoshido led us to a beautiful courtyard with bright gardens, wonderfully designed fountains and more cheery trees dotting the grassland. There were walls leading towards the Hoshidan castle gate, patterned like a maze strangely.

"Did the Hoshidans want to defend their castle so much that they built a maze in front of their doors?", I asked, "Seems very impractical if they want to get out of the castle".

"It looks fun though", Nino smiled brightly, "It's like you'll have to find a new way out if you want to get in or out. A new adventure every time you open your door!".

"More likely that they have troops positioned inside the maze to guard the castle", Robin observed, "The way they can patrol the maze makes it impossible to get through the front door without being spotted. A good defense measure actually".

"Still, it must be a hassle to get in and out of the castle everyday with this mountain they are living on along with the maze", I said, "Oh well, guess we go in". I began walking into the maze when a knife nearly sliced through my leg. I backed away, wary for more attacks. Nobody and nothing else came out.

"I knew it", Robin opened his tome, "Enemies are waiting in the maze to ambush us. We have to expose them by breaking the walls".

"Let's do that", I agreed, "Be careful, you two. Don't let the enemy catch you by surprise. Serra and I will wait here in case you need healing". The two mages nodded and went into the maze.

"Damn, I nearly caught that summoner there with my dagger", Kagero, retainer to Ryoma, muttered.

"Lady Sakura and Kagero! The Nohrian spies have entered the maze. Prepare to attack", Subaki said over the wall, "Once they have broken the wall, rush out and ambush them!".

"W-we'll do that Subaki. Thanks", Sakura said, then walked to the right side of her room in the maze, "Hana, the Nohrians have entered the maze. P-prepare to fight when they break the wall".

"You got it Lady Sakura!", Hana heaved her Armorslayer, which she could somehow wield despite her small stature. Sakura never really understood that, as most swords were like carrying a sack of bricks. The Armorslayer was a sack of bricks with bars of iron glued to it. Still, the Armorslayer gave a good swing, so Sakura trusted Hana not to break her arm wielding it. Meanwhile, Robin and Nino were wandering around the maze, carefully breaking down the walls of the maze and exposing foes. Robin destroyed a barrier and Subaki was behind the wall. The pegasus knight lunged instantly and nearly stabbed Robin through the chest, but Nino shot him down before Subaki can reach. Robin broke another wall and Hana burst through the debris, landing two powerful slashes with her Armorslayer onto Robin's waist. A giant wind blade came down, but Hana was quick and rolled out of the way. Robin stepped back to attack with magic, but Hana rushed in before he could react and landed a large cut onto Robin's face. The tactician sent out a swarm of ravens in a large area, covering the hall with spirit birds. Hana ran back to avoid the attack, but it bought Robin time to activate Defiant Speed and send a Bonfire-charged wall of ravens towards Hana. The ravens moved almost instantaneously and slammed into Hana, ending her life. The ravens also broke another wall nearby, exposing Sakura and Kagero. This time, Nino was ready and launched a circular ring of wind swords towards Kagero. The ninja managed to survive and fired back her Poison Dagger, but Robin stood in the way and blocked it. The dagger sinked into his chest however and made the wound an ugly shade of purple. Robin could taste the poison in his mouth, but he couldn't let that stop him now. Robin cast Blarraven at Sakura, who was healing Kagero and took her down after two hits. Nino called down another volley of swords and defeated Kagero as well. The maze was silent after that. Robin and Nino have won the battle. The two mages looked at each other wearily. Nino rose her hand for a high five and Robin hit it gently, both of them smiling at each other.

Robin and Nino met back with me at the entrance.

"All enemies have been cleared of the maze Lucian", Robin reported, "We are free to walk into Hoshido castle".

"Great work you guys, taking out the enemy team like that", I grinned proudly, "Let's sit down and rest before going in".

All of us sat down under a cherry tree while Serra healed up Robin and Nino with her staff. The cuts and wounds vanished, but both mages still looked exhausted. Along with the First Aid kit, Sharena made us some provisions to carry in case we got hungry mid-expedition. I took out two turkey and cheese sandwiches and gave them to Robin and Nino. While they ate, I wondered who was waiting in the castle. We defeated Takumi, Hinoka and Sakura, three of the four heroes we fought at the chasm. All was left was Ryoma, the alleged "Prince of Birthright". He was probably the person we'll be facing in the castle. We rested for a few minutes, then we proceeded into the Hoshidan castle.

"Lord Ryoma, shall we guard you in the coming assault of the Nohrian spies?", the same red ninja that was with Takumi asked Ryoma.

"No Saizo. They aren't normal spies if they can defeat Hinoka, Takumi and Sakura on their own. They must be a more… unreal force", Ryoma said, "I shall face their leader in single combat, like the samurai of ancient times".

"Milord, I wouldn't risk your life like that", Kagero warned, "I just fought these enemies only a short time ago. They are incredibly strong".

"Kagero, are you doubting my ability with a sword?", Ryoma drew his personal weapon, a legendary katana wreathed in lightning, the Raijinto, "Do not worry. The Silver Sword I used against them previously was only practice. Now, there's no more games. The battle is to the death".

"I don't question your strength Lord Ryoma, but we will assist you if the situation goes poorly for you", Kagero responded, "We will bury those Nohrian scum in the dirt beneath this mountain".

"Looks like they have arrived. Let's do this", Saizo said.

We walked through the empty hallways of Castle Hoshido, the Japanese wallpaper and paintings giving a very foreign feel from the rest of the worlds we fought in. We eventually found a hidden passage behind the throne and found ourselves in a large room with a small room locked by wooden double doors.

"Wow, there's a lot of doors around here. Let's check what's over here…", Nino pushed the double doors opened and stepped inside, finding Ryoma alone, meditating.

"Hey guys! I found someone here- huh?", Nino turned to call to us, but the door suddenly shut close by itself and two ninja appeared on both sides of the room, surrounding us. Additionally, Takumi's retainers, Oboro and Hinata were paired up with Ryoma's ninjas, making us outnumbered 4-1 when it comes to attackers. Inside the locked room, Ryoma opened his eyes and stood up, grasping the grip of Raijinto.

"I'm surprised you made it this far. You've defeated my siblings and some of the best in Hoshido", Ryoma acknowledged, "But now I will stop you here at the cost of my own life, if necessary. I challenge one of you to single combat. How will you fare against the High Prince of Hoshido?".

"Umm… can it not be me who fights you?", Nino said in a small voice.

"The room is locked and will not be opened until both of my retainers or me is defeated", Ryoma informed, "So how will you fare against me? We shall see. Begin!".

The battle begun. Ryoma drew his lightning katana and charged towards Nino. Nino dashed out of the way and launched a ring of swords towards the samurai lord, but due to triangle advantage, Nino's attack only made Ryoma stumble. Seeing as Nino was out of range, Ryoma held his Raijinto up to his face and gripped it tightly. A spiral of electricity was unleashed out from Ryoma's sword and rocketed towards Nino. Nino jumped to avoid it and the electricity hit the wall behind her, making a hole that shown the massive cliffside of the mountain. One strike or push could send Nino out of the castle and off the cliff. Nino sent another volley of Gronnblade towards Ryoma, but he was just as fast as her, avoiding attacks with ease. Meanwhile, Robin was holding off four enemies from attacking me and Serra. The ninja's daggers bounced off the tactician's body, but if they managed to stick in, Saizo's Poison Strike or Kagero's Poison Dagger would quickly leech away Robin's life. Serra kept healing Robin and Robin fired back at the ninja with Blarraven, taking down Saizo in two hits and then defeated Kagero with a Bonfire-charged attack. When they faded away, they dropped golden keys, presumingly to unlock the door to Ryoma's room.

"Out of the way!", Robin sent a flurry of ravens wreathed in Defiant Speed's aura towards Hinata, taking him down in a single hit. He picked up the key, but Oboro stabbed him in the leg, making him crumble to the ground.

"Ahh! Serra, go heal him!", I commanded.

"But that spear fighter is in the way!", Serra cried.

"Nino won't survive in there with Ryoma and neither will we if Robin dies! Heal him and sacrifice your life if necessary!", I shouted, desperation clear in my voice.

"Sacrifice my life what?".

"JUST DO IT!".

Serra ran over and healed Robin with Recover just as Oboro went for another attack. Oboro's Heavy Spear impaled Serra through the chest and she faded away into light. Fortunately, Robin got up and struck with two Blarraven attacks, defeating the Hoshidan spear fighter. I ran to get the other key and we unlocked the door into Ryoma's room.

Meanwhile, Nino was starting to get tired from running away from Ryoma. She was already fatigued from the last battles and constantly dashing away to avoid Ryoma's lightning strikes drained her down. Eventually, her luck run out. As she jumped to dodge another bolt of lightning from Ryoma, the samurai dashed in and took advantage of her pause when she landed. He slashed his Raijinto over her chest and smashed her out of the castle wall from the hole he made earlier. Nino fell through the sky, screaming and crying her lungs out until she hit the ground at 100 miles per hour, fading into light instantly. We opened the door just as Ryoma did this and Robin, filled with rage for Nino's defeat, fired a Bonfire-Defiant Speed-charged Blarraven at Ryoma's back, smashing him to the floor. The samurai faded into light and the battle was finally over.

After the fight, Ryoma appeared in a flash of light without a weapon, like usual.

"Why do I feel so… refreshed? Is it true of what you said back at the Bottomless Canyon?", Ryoma asked.

"All of it is true. Embla is the real enemy here. We only came to liberate you from Veronica's control, not to conquer your kingdom", I said.

"You may be lying, but I feel that you are telling the truth", Ryoma said, "Then I thank you. Thank you for cleansing my kingdom of Embla's filth and clearing my head for the coming war with Nohr".

"No problem. It's all part of the job", I smiled.

"Also… I give my deepest apologies to your fallen comrades and all that we put you through. Because we were working on behalf of the enemy, they have forced me to end many unnecessary lives. I'm truly sorry", Ryoma apologized.

"It's alright. I'm sure it'll all work out in the end. Now, we have to go back home. Good luck on the upcoming war!", we bid Ryoma our farewells and went back to the Bottomless Canyon, where our portal was waiting. When we arrived back in Askr, I send Robin to the barracks for him to get some well-deserved rest and gave my report to Alfonse, Sharena and Anna.

"He made you guys fight you in single combat?", Alfonse asked, shocked.

"Oh wow, that sounds terrifying!", Sharena said, "Being split up like that… I thought we'll never see each other again and I don't want that! Not after what happened with Zacharias at least…".

"Who's Zacharias?", I asked.

"I told you two not to dwell on Zacharias's disappearance", Anna chided, then she sighed, "I guess we should tell you Lucian. Zacharias was a member of the Order of Heroes and taught Sharena how to wield a lance. He was a bold fighter and great comrade, but sometime ago, he went missing and we couldn't find him".

"Zacharias was Alfonse's best friend and the reason why Alfonse distrusts heroes", Sharena informed, "Well… that and when Marth left us".

"Let's not sink deeper into despair now, shall we?", Anna said, "Lucian, there's a report of another attack from Embla".

"Again? Which world is it this time?", I asked.

"Embla isn't attacking a specific world for more troops", Anna said seriously, "They are actually sending troops to fight US. A spy reported that they will begin their attack tomorrow morning".

"Any idea of where they are stationed?".

"Unfortunately, the spy couldn't figure out where the troops were stationed for the attack", Anna reported, "So our best bet is to fortify Askr Castle's defenses and send out a group to intercept the troops coming out way".

"Alright, so go tell Seliph, Jeorge and Maria to meet me in the lobby tomorrow morning", I said, then turned to Sharena, "Sharena, you're coming with me too".

"Thanks Lucian. I'll do my best!", Sharena grinned and the four of us disbanded, heading out to do our own thing. I was exhausted from the battle in the World of Birthright, so I took a shower, ate a quick dinner and hopped into bed, falling asleep instantly.

To be continued...

 **Next up is Paralogue 2: Sibling Bonds. Stay tuned and thanks for the favorites, reviews and follows!**

 **\- SharpEyLogic (Heroes ID:** **6977989459)**


	10. Paralogue 2: Sibling Bonds

A Summoner's Journey

Paralogue 2: Sibling Bonds

 _Team for this chapter: Seliph, Jeorge, Sharena and Maria_

 _Heroes gained last chapter: None_

I woke up to the sound of fighting outside. Loud sounds of swords and lances clashing rang throughout the entire castle. I dragged myself out of bed and looked out my window. Emblian soldiers were engaging with Askrian guards in the courtyard. Heroes from other worlds popped in out of nowhere, easily getting behind our lines and backstabbing the guards. My heroes were already awake and were defending the entrance from those same rogue heroes. I quickly got dressed and hurried downstairs, where the lobby was utter chaos. Heroes enslaved by Embla were brawling with mine. I spotted Palla attacking Jeorge, but the archer rolled away and launched an arrow at her, defeating Palla instantly. A Cecilia blasted a cloud of green ravens towards Robin, but Lon'qu leaped towards her from a staircase and dove his sword straight into her back, killing her. I found Anna amidst the chaos, fighting off numerous Emblian Lance Knights and Axe Fighters.

"Anna, is everything alright?", I asked.

"Not good Lucian. Embla has gathered a large mass of heroes from all realms to attack Askr", Anna explained as she Night Sky'ed another Axe Fighter, "They even managed to capture legendaries deities like the Empress of Begnion, Sanaki, the Thunder's Fist Reinhardt and the Lionheart Eldigan!".

"Are the three of them leading this force?", I inquired, "If they are, where are they?".

"Sanaki is leading her forces in the West at an old Askr fortress", Anna said as she slashed down a Lance Knight, "Reinhardt is down by the Northern river and Eldigan is coming in through the forest in the east".

"Okay, I'm going to take Jeorge, Sharena, Seliph and Maria to the enemy bases to take them down. Hold the castle for as long as you possibly can!", I said, then ran off to find my heroes.

I found Jeorge sniping more fliers down and asked him to join me, saying that Virion and Niles can take over for flier duty. I found Sharena and Alfonse on the front lines, taking down any heroes or Emblians that snuck past the line of Askrian knights. I took Sharena with me and put a hero we picked up in the Special Maps, Donnel, in her place with his Steel Lance. I also had Subaki, another special map pickup, stand behind in case Donnel got too injured. Seliph was in the left side of the castle lobby, fighting a Hinata nearby the quest fountain. Seliph overpowered Hinata's defense with his powerful sword and hit him so hard, Hinata went flying and smashed into the wall. I took him along and went to find Maria. Maria was with Serra in the backlines, surrounded by Askrian knights and archers. I told Maria to come with me and she obliged, healing up the knight next to her with her staff and then following me towards the mess hall. The mess hall had a backdoor towards the garden where we grew fresh produce and could only be opened from the inside, so then intruders couldn't enter from behind. I took my heroes around the castle and to the west fortress first, where Empress Sanaki and her forces were waiting.

Arriving at the Askrian fort, we found a young girl with long blue hair and wearing a regal red cloak and headband. In her hand was a unfamiliar magic tome that was pulsing with orange flames. The other two troops in the fort were regular Emblian soldiers, but there was an archer in the middle with short blond hair, a fancy purple uniform and a long blue arrow quiver strapped to his back. In his hand was a Brave Bow.

"Let me get this straight: we're all here to prove which sibling is the most talented?", the archer asked.

The girl shrugged, "That's what Veronica told us. This realm looks to be our battlefield".

"But you aren't my sister", the archer replied.

"Nor are you my brother but…", the mage said, "I am Sanaki, Empress of Begnion! The Apostle! The voice of the goddess Ashera! And what's more, I refuse to let any other little sister prove herself of greater standing than me. So, to battle!".

The archer looked at her, dumbfounded, "To what battle? No enemies are here".

"There are", Sanaki closed her eyes, "Five of them are here, Askrian heroes. They are beyond this wall".

"Why did you introduce yourself then?", the archer asked.

"Klein, you know it's polite to introduce yourself to new adversities before a fight like this", Sanaki said, "Anyhow, to battle! Emblian soldiers, attack the Askrians!".

Klein sighed, nocking an arrow into his Brave Bow, "What have I gotten myself into this time…?".

Two Emblian soldiers came rushing out from the fort, a green mage and an archer.

"What fools they are, rushing out despite being ranged fighters", Jeorge shot an arrow towards the Bow Fighter, making him stagger back, "Seliph! Engage the mage!".

"Got it!", Seliph dodged a Rexcalibur shot from the mage and slammed his Tyrfing into the mage's face, defeating him in one hit. The archer took cover behind a wall and fired arrows towards us, but Jeorge counterattacked and took out the bowman with a well-shot arrow to the head.

"Wait for it… now!", Sanaki called and Klein came out from the wall, landing two arrows onto Sharena's chest. Sharena barreled through the attack and stabbed Klein hard through the stomach. While he staggered back, Sharena was about to finish him, but Sanaki summoned a gigantic fireball with her tome.

"Cymbeline!", Sanaki shouted and the meteor-sized fireball rocketed towards Sharena, destroying parts of the old fort in a huge explosion. Sharena rose her shield to defend herself, but the magic was so powerful that it smashed Sharena to the ground and she faded away, defeated.

"Jeorge and Seliph! Take this opportunity to attack!", I commanded. The two split ways, with Seliph charging through the hall Klein came from and Jeorge breaking down a cracked wall to attack from the other side. Seliph easily defeated Klein with a slice to the neck and before Sanaki could summon another fireball, an arrow from Jeorge's Silver Bow punctured her leg and she collapsed on the ground. Another arrow came flying over the wall and it landed in the empress's chest, causing her to fade into light. We checked the rest of the fort, but it was clear of enemies. Before we could leave, Sanaki reappeared in a flash of light without her tome.

"You...you...beat us? Well, I suppose it's the right thing to do to concede defeat", Sanaki bowed with respect, "After all, it's not every day that someone gets the best of me... Sanaki, Empress of Begnion!", and the mage left the fortress. Next, we were going to engage the Thunder's Fist Reinhardt's forces in the Northern river. We decided not to go back to the castle and grab someone to replace Sharena as it'll waste time and give the Emblians more time to potentially seize Askr.

"Every soldier matters in a battle Lucian. Are you sure us three can handle it?", Jeorge asked as we trekked through a forest leading towards the river.

"It's only two of us", Seliph corrected, "Maria can't fight".

"Hey, I can fight!", Maria showed Seliph her staff, "Lucian got me an Assault staff a few days ago so then I can attack stuff!".

"Yeah, but you're a cleric", Seliph replied, "Your role is to stay in the back and heal us front line fighter, not BE the front line fighter".

"Well don't count me out just because I'm a cleric", Maria said, "I can still at least hurt the enemy".

Seliph sighed, "Fine. At least try to stay out of trouble however. You ARE still a frail little cleric".

"I'm not frail!".

"Maria, you're like 13 and you don't have the least bit of armor on".

"Oh, I'm going to-"

"Shut up guys, we're about to get to the northern river", I said and we crawled out of the woods, arriving at a quartz brick bridge spanning over a large rushing river. Three cavaliers were on the other side along with a red mage.

"Olwen, please retreat. I intend to keep you safe, Sister. Our opponents here are quite skilled, worthy of being called Heroes as I heard. Should the worst occur, I may not be able to protect you", the mage cavalier with dark black hair said.

"I refuse, Reinhardt. I will stay right here where I can be of use. All I've ever wanted is to fight at your side", the female mage cavalier, Olwen replied, "So command me all you like, I will still obey my heart".

"You've grown into quite the formidable woman, sister", Reinhardt acknowledged, "You've chosen to go your own path at last and yet, you still choose to ride alongside me. Very well. To battle".

Reinhardt gestured to the Axe Cavalier beside him, "Go and intercept the defenders in front of us. Olwen will accompany you to the front line. Retreat if you are injured and we'll swap places".

The Axe Cavalier nodded without a word and charged towards us, with Olwen behind him.

"Seliph, meet the Axe Cavalier with your sword, but watch out for Olwen! Jeorge, distract Olwen so then she doesn't blast Seliph. Go!", I commanded and my hero duo rushed towards the incoming foe. Seliph clashed with the Axe Cavalier, Killer Axe to Tyrfing while Jeorge launched arrows at Olwen. Olwen countered with a extreme bolt of lightning from her Thoron, but Jeorge darted out of the way and managed to hit Olwen with an arrow from his Silver Bow, leaving her waist wounded. Meanwhile, Seliph knocked the Axe Cavalier back with his sword and leaped to finish him when a blue bolt of lightning came flying out of the sky and knocked Seliph hard to the ground.

"Dire Thunder!", Reinhardt called and a second bolt of lightning came streaking down towards Seliph, but he rolled away at the last second and got healed by Maria.

"We can kill the Axe Cavalier first, then use Maria to block the enemy's attacks, as all of them are mages", I said to myself, "Jeorge! Hurry and finish off Olwen! Seliph can't approach with Reinhardt in the way!".

"I'm trying my best!", Jeorge rolled to dodge another Thoron bolt and shot his arrow at her, which was ignited in a bright orange flame.

"Rising Flame!", Jeorge shouted and upon contact with Olwen, the arrow exploded into a horizontal row of fire, taking down Olwen and weakening Reinhardt and the Axe Cavalier.

"Magic is everything!", Reinhardt declared and his tome blazed with yellow lightning. He galloped straight towards Seliph, "Blazing Thunder!".

Reinhardt's tome burst in a vertical line of red lightning, knocking Maria and Seliph to their knees, their bodies covered with leftover discharge. Reinhardt pointed his gloved finger to Seliph to launch another attack, but Jeorge shot an arrow at the mage's chest and pierced his heart, killing him instantly. The remaining red mage ran forth, pulling out his Bolganone tome. Seliph got healed by Maria, then he Rally Speed-ed Jeorge. Jeorge jumped to dodge the first Bolganone shot, then took down the mage with two arrows from his bow. The mage fell to the ground and faded away. The battle was over.

"Phew, that was really close", I said as everyone sat on the bridge to rest, "You did an amazing job there Jeorge".

"Heh, glad to be of service", Jeorge laid down his Silver Bow and leaned back against the bridge fence, "Let's rest and heal before we continue on. All of us are beat".

We rested for a few minutes while Maria topped everyone off with her staff. Then, we moved to towards the forest in the east to meet with Eldigan's forces.

When we arrived in the forest clearing, we found three armed cavaliers and a healer. Two of the cavaliers were Emblian soldiers, one wielding a Silver Lance and the other a Silver Axe. The third looked to be a unique hero, with a long red coat, medium-length blond hair and a sharp sword in his hand. The cleric looked similar, with longer blond hair and was wearing a orange dress instead. In her hand was a Physic staff.

"Ah, there you are, those Askrians everyone keeps talking about", the cleric began, "Well, the winner of this fight is clear. My brother, Eldigan, has already won the day by virtue of his good looks alone".

"Lachesis, you're embarrassing me and yourself", Eldigan replied, "Can we cut this short and move to the fight?".

"Hold on, I'm not finished", Lachesis cleared her throat, "He sets the standard for older brothers. Yes, I say! Raise high the banner for Eldigan! Alright, now let's settle this matter once and for all".

Eldigan slapped his forehead, "You're never going to get over your excessive clinging. Fine then, let's get to the fight. I hope you are ready to meet my Mystletainn, Askrians".

Eldigan turned to the cavaliers next to him, "Do not move until they enter our range. Stay together and don't get separated. Understood?". The cavaliers nodded and the fight begun.

The cavaliers didn't move when I sent Seliph forward with Jeorge behind him.

"Try to bait them out one at a time! Don't get surrounded!", I commanded. My heroes obeyed and Seliph came into the range of the Silver Lance cavalier. The cavalier spotted him and charged, brandishing his spear. Seliph held his sword in a defensive stance in front of him and the cavalier crashed headon, pushing Seliph a far distance away.

"Jeorge! Strike the cavalier from behind!", I called and Jeorge launched an arrow at the back of the cavalier, piercing his chest. The cavalier faltered when the arrow struck and Seliph slashed at his neck with his sword, killing the cavalier.

"Not so fast!", Eldigan didn't stay put and charged towards Jeorge, striking a hard blow at the archer's waist. Jeorge toppled to the ground and rolled the get away, drawing an arrow in the process. He got up quickly and shot the arrow, but Eldigan simply raised his shield and the arrow bounced off. Eldigan charged again and brought his Mystletainn down onto Jeorge. The archer jumped out of the way, with Eldigan's sword slicing the grass beneath him. Seliph jumped to land a jumping strike onto Eldigan, but the Axe Cavalier caught the lord in the waist and he collapsed onto the ground, wounded but alive. Jeorge slowly walked back towards me and Maria, letting his arrows loose at the two cavaliers in order to distract them. Maria healed Jeorge while he was doing this and managed to heal all his wounds before Eldigan attacked again. While the Axe Cavalier fended off Seliph, Eldigan rose his sword, the blade glowing with bright white light. He rushed towards Jeorge and shouted, "Growing Light", before swinging his sword. Jeorge dodged, but the moment it touched the ground, Mystletainn exploded in a burst of light, knocking me and Maria to the ground.

"You like playing the area splash game? Well, I'll join in too. Rising Flame!", Jeorge shot an arrow lit ablaze and once it made contract with Eldigan's body, it blew up into a line of fire, forcing him back with his clothes charred and a huge burnt hole in his waist. Lachesis came out of the woods to heal him, but Seliph ran behind her and cut her down in one swing. The Axe Cavalier galloped towards Seliph quickly however and landed a powerful blow onto the lord's head. Seliph collapsed onto the ground and faded away.

"Jeorge, it's all you now. Fall back towards Maria and take down Eldigan quickly!", I called. The sniper launched an arrow at the Axe Cavalier, taking him down and then took aim towards Eldigan. The knight was still in pain from the Rising Flame shot, but managed to hold up his sword and charge. He brought his blade down onto Jeorge and the archer dodged as usual, but Eldigan swung in a circle, slashing his sword across Maria's face. The cleric fell in a pool of blood and disappeared.

"Oh ****", I cursed, but Jeorge wasted no time after Maria's defeat and sniped Eldigan in the head with his bow. The knight fell off his horse and onto the ground, his sword and himself fading into light. The hard battle was done.

As always, the heroes we fought reappeared in a flash of light after the fight was done.

"We lost? And yet losing… has never felt like such a relief", Lachesis said, "I feel like a strange weight has lifted from my shoulders. Just being here with my brother is all I could ever want". Lachesis looked at Eldigan with a warm smile.

"You have all shown your strength. And so I lower my sword, a bitter moment for a true knight", Eldigan said, "Duty is my code, so though you broke the contract that binds us… I find it as disheartening as losing a liege. What am I to do with myself now?".

Lachesis tapped her brother's shoulder playfully, "Eldie... Let us return to our home. After all, you once promised to return to our castle one day".

Eldigan let out a short laugh, "Heh, I suppose I did. So, perhaps that will be my next destination. Travelers, you have my thanks. Next we meet, I hope to raise my sword in service to you", and the two disappeared into the Askrian woods. When we arrived back at the castle, the attack from Embla seemed to be over. No soldiers were fighting at the entrance and the portals looked normal like nothing happened. We came in through the entrance and everyone in the lobby exploded with cheer.

"Incredible job out there Lucian. You saved Askr from Embla", Alfonse congratulated.

"We were so worried when Maria, Sharena and Seliph appeared wounded in the lobby", Anna said, "But it looks like Jeorge got it all done. Well done, you two!".

"Thanks Anna. So what happened after Embla's attack?", I asked.

"We routed the Emblian soldiers and their enslaved heroes", Alfonse confirmed, "The spies report that most were defeated or they fell back. Half of the Emblian army is dead".

"So we don't need to worry about attacks from Embla anymore!", Sharena cheered, "Until they can rebuild their army, we're free to sit back, train and make ourselves stronger to be more prepared for them".

"That's reassuring", I said, "Is there anything else the spies mentioned?".

"The report says that Emblia is currently battling heroes in the World of Awakening to enslave them again", Anna said, "But we're sending Askrian knights to rout the soldier out, so you don't need to get involved".

"Good to hear" I said, "Alright, I'm going to eat, take a shower and rest. I'm beat".

"Ha ha, we all are", Alfonse smiled, "Meet you in the mess hall".

"I'll see you there", I nodded.

 _To be continued..._

 **Next part: Return to Awakening**

 **So since the Choose Your Legends heroes came out, I want to know what you guys picked as your free hero. I personally picked Lyn because nobody wants to go through colourless hell, but I'm curious what you guys picked. Let me know in the review section!**


	11. Chapter 8: Return to Awakening

A Summoner's Journey

Chapter 8: Return to Awakening

 _Team for this chapter: Eliwood, Jeorge, Nino and Robin_

 **EDIT: Realized I completely forgot about World of Blazing T_T I'll include it as extra dialogue in Heroes Invade next chapter and then Lucian will liberate it after. Sorry about this! Anyways, enjoy the story!**

 **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

"Lucian! Are you awake?" Sharena called, then she knocked the door again. I groaned, dragging myself out of bed and went to open the door.

"Lucian? Are you here?" Sharena was about to knock again, but I opened the door, bags under my eyes and my jet black hair messed up "Oh, there you are"

"What is it Sharena?" I asked, my eyes struggling to stay open "It's too early for an attack on Askr"

"Nothing's happening right now, but Embla killed the Askrian knights we sent to the World of Awakening!" Sharena cried "The spies report that they seized control of powerful heroes in the World of Awakening and are approaching fast to Askr!"

"Damn those Emblians. Alright, I'll be down as fast as I can. Notify Jeorge, Nino, Robin and Eliwood to meet me in the lobby ASAP" I said and hurried to take a shower, get a change of clothes and grabbed a muffin from the mess hall. The lobby was empty as the morning sun rose over the horizon through the giant front door of the castle. My heroes had the same bags under their eyes as mine, with disheveled hair and sleepy expressions.

"Look alive everyone! We're heading to the World of Awakening again in order to free it from Embla!" I said, taking a bite out of my carrot muffin.

"Could you at least… fetch us a snack or something?" Nino yawned "I'm hungry"

Eliwood ruffled Nino's green hair "I'll go grab us some food before we go. What would you like?"

"Ooh, could I have a blueberry muffin and a banana Lord Eliwood?" Nino asked, cutely tugging at the edge of Eliwood's blue cape.

Eliwood smiled warmly "Yes, of course. Would you like anything Sir Jeorge?"

"An apple would be fine. I'll have a formal meal after the mission" Jeorge said, adjusting his arm guard and archery gloves.

Eliwood turned to Robin "And you, Grandmaster?"

"Guess I'll take an orange and a raspberry muffin" Robin said, reading a small tactical codex that was in his pocket "Thank you"

Later, we arrived through the portal in the World of Awakening. Next to use were old brick walls, like the remains of a village barrier. A river stream rushed nearby. Ahead were a Lance Knight and an Axe Cavalier, but the most notable enemies that were facing us was Robin and a tall woman wearing very transparent clothing. Her bottom was sorta like a kilt, similar to the one Lyn wore. She had silky black hair, somewhat oily in feeling and was holding a dark red magical tome with three swords crossed over the cover.

"Greetings strangers. I hear that you are this "Order of Heroes"?" the enemy Robin asked politely.

"Yes we are" my Robin responded "I'm sure you already heard from Chrom that Embla's the evil force at play here. So please, lay down your weapons"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Chrom has been missing for several weeks and now you come here announcing yourselves as people from another world?" Robin pulled a Thoron tome out of his pocket "That sounds pretty suspicious to me. How I wish my sister was here to fight with me but…" the enemy Robin stopped abruptly, then turned behind him. The woman was sneaking behind Robin, attempting to put her arms around his neck.

"Tharja? Are you following me around again?" Robin asked.

"Of course, my dear. You are, after all, the perfect man for me" Tharja said seductively.

"Umm...you can help me clear these enemy troops and then we'll see about the "perfect man" part" Robin said, uneasy.

"Whatever you say, darling" Tharja's tome pulsed with red light and a cluster of miniature red blades appeared "I will eradicate your enemies with this new magic I found: Rauorblade!"

"That's… great to hear" Robin smiled faintly "Anyhow, to battle! Drive these Order of Heroes scum out from Ylisse!"

The Axe Cavalier galloped towards us, Emerald Axe gleaming in his hand. I sent Eliwood to intercept him and his sword met with the enemy's axe. Eliwood gave a hard push with his blade and slammed his sword onto the cavalier's chest, shattering his axe in the process thanks to his skill Axebreaker. Left helpless, the cavalier galloped away to retreat, but Nino sent three Gronnblade swords flying down and blocked the cavalier's exit. Before he could stop his horse, the cavalier rammed headfirst into the wall of magic and the blades exploded, taking him out.

"Rauorblade!" Tharja called and a similar cluster of red blades came flying out of the sky towards us. Robin countered with Blarraven and the swords shattered in midair. The enemy Robin launched a bolt of Thoron towards Jeorge, but he jumped to avoid it and shot an arrow into Robin's chest, making him stumble back.

"Finish him off Nino!" I commanded and the mage obliged, sending a wave of green magic swords towards the tactician. Gronnblade crashed into the enemy Robin, making him dissolve and fade away in gold light.

"Vengeance!" Tharja came out from behind the wall, glowing with dark red light and sent down a storm of swords towards Nino. Before Nino could get away, my Robin pushed her out of the attack and took it himself. His weapon triangle advantage reduced the damage he took, but the magic attack plus Vengeance hurt him real hard. Tharja sent down another volley of blades, but Nino drew back Robin before he could be struck again.

"Here's how it's done!" my Robin's body blazed with orange flames and he launched a Bonfire-charged Blarraven towards Tharja, making her collapse to the ground. Jeorge finished her off with a quick arrow to the chest. The remaining Emblian Lance Knight slowly trudged from behind the wall and raised his Silver Lance to attack, but Nino easily struck him down with two Gronnblade attacks.

"Armored knights are far too easy to take down" Robin smiled and patted Nino's head "Good job there Nino"

Nino blushed and smiled back when the enemy Robin reappeared in a flash of magic, without his tome.

"You circumvented my strategy? Incredible" the enemy Robin acknowledged "I guess your tactician isn't half-bad. But I've got more tricks and tactics to trip you up, along with many more allies to keep you from going further!" and the enemy tactician teleported away in a flash of yellow light. Heading up the hillside nearby, we found ourselves in a passageway surrounded by two cliffs. Jeorge spotted a green mage on the left cliffside, an archer on the right and two non-Emblians at the bottom.

"One of the non-Emblians is a white haired red mage with a Rauorraven tome" Jeorge reported "The other seems to be a child, with light gold-blue hair . She doesn't seem to be wearing much armor, if not any clothes at all"

"Uhh… okay" I said, uneasy about the "clothing" part "Did you spot anything in her hand?"

"It was a glowing blue stone" Jeorge replied "Something the matter with it?"

"Yeah, I remember seeing that kind of stone back in the World of Mystery" I said, remembering how Tiki used the dragonstone to transform into a dragon "It's probably a manakete's dragonstone, so approach her with caution, despite her looks"

"Thanks for the warning", Jeorge smiled, "Now then, shall we attack?"

"Yes, of course. Let me just convey orders to Robin, Eliwood and Nino here" I turned to the three heroes, who were talking beside me "Robin, head to the forest on the right that goes up to the west cliffside. Eliwood, take your horse to the left cliff and deal with the green mage. Jeorge and Nino will stay behind until you two have dealt with the enemies there"

"Understood", Robin and Eliwood nodded and they separated, Robin heading into the forest and Eliwood galloping up the left cliffside. Robin trudged through the forest obscuring the way towards the left cliff. Tons of logs, branches and trees slowed his attack and by the time he reached the top, he was covered in branches, scars and blood. The archer atop the cliff noticed the tactician immediately and launched an arrow from his Silver Bow towards Robin. The mage deflected it with a wall of spirit ravens and sent the cloud of ghosts towards the archer. The ravens crashed into the archer, skittering him just near the edge of the cliff. While the archer was recovering from the attack, Robin rushed forward and threw his fist to punch the Emblian off the cliff, but the soldier managed to smack Robin aside with his bow. The archer drew another arrow and fired, this time landing a shot on Robin's arm. Back down the cliff, Jeorge noticed that Robin was struggling and ran down the passageway to help him.

"Jeorge! What are you doing?!" I yelled, but the archer ignored me and drew his bow to fire. Jeorge nocked the arrow into his Silver Bow and let it loose, killing the enemy archer from behind. Robin poked his head over the cliff "Thanks Jeorge!"

"No problem!" Jeorge shouted back, then a gale of wind sliced his right arm, drawing a line of blood.

"Nino! Draw back Jeorge!" I commanded and the mage grabbed Jeorge by the shoulder and dragged him back towards me, out of the green mage's range. While the Emblian was attacking Jeorge however, Eliwood snuck behind and stabbed the mage in the back with his Silver Sword, killing him instantly. Now all was left were the mage and dragon below. I called Robin and Eliwood back down the cliff and we marched through the passageway. Finally, we spotted the two. The red mage was just as Jeorge described: short white hair, a thin dark mage robe and a Rauorraven tome in his hand. The girl next to him was well… it's hard to describe a loli that wears next to nothing.

" _Good god what is with the people here in the World of Awakening?"_ I thought to myself

"They're looking at me funny" the girl said to the mage "They think I'm a child!"

Nino looked at her, dumbfounded "But you ARE a child"

"Oh yeah? Look at this!" the girl gripped her dragonstone tightly and she was enveloped in bright blue light. When the light faded, the loli was replaced by a huge, bulky yellow dragon.

"Whoa! I always wondered what it felt like to be a dragon!" the mage exclaimed next to the dragon "You think you could lend me your dragonstone next time Nowi?"

"Come on Henry! You should know that it doesn't work for everyone!" Nowi replied back in echoing voice "Anyway, let's get to the fight! I didn't transform just to show off!"

"Right away Nowi!" Henry said with a little too much enthusiasm "I'll have them _cawing_ for mercy at the hand of my crows and ravens! Ha ha ha!"

Robin sighed at the pun and readied his tome "I'll show you ravens. Blarraven!"

The tactician shot a storm of ravens towards Henry, who countered with his own Rauorraven. The red and blue spirits clashed in midair and dissipated in a spark of red and blue light.

"Dragon rampage!" Nowi reared back and blasted a large bolt of lightning from her mouth towards Robin. Robin staggered back, clearly taking the attack hard.

"Gronnblade!" Nino sent a volley of swords in Nowi's direction, but Henry blocked it with a wall of ravens, then he had them fly towards Nino. The ravens crashed into the mage and made her collapse to the ground. Nino's Gronnblade flew in the air and the ravens swarmed over it, shredding the tome into pieces.

"Nino! Just use your Elwind tome for now to distract Nowi! Only Robin is able to defeat Henry!" I called while Jeorge launched arrows at Nowi's dragon body. Nino pulled out her another tome from her bag and summoned a small tornado of wind towards Nowi, hitting the dragon hard. Nowi retaliated with a blast of Lightning Breath, but Nino took the attack much better than Robin. Meanwhile, Robin recovered from Nowi's attack and unleashed a Bonfire-charged Blarraven towards Henry. Henry countered again with his own ravens, but the sheer power of Robin's magic blasted through Henry's attack and the fiery spirits smashed into the mage, taking him down in one hit. Nowi shot Lightning Breath at Jeorge and struck him in the chest, but Nino finished the dragon off by surrounding Nowi with sharp Elwind gales and having them slice her apart. The manakete collapsed to the ground in a loud thud and reverted back to a small girl before fading away. We healed each other's wounds and continued on.

Not before long, we found a huge mountain that looked difficult to climb up.

"Well, this'll take a while to climb" Eliwood remarked.

Suddenly, an Emblian Sword Flier came rocketing down from the mountaintop and nearly cut Nino's face if Eliwood didn't block the blade with his own and then stab the flier in the chest.

"As I thought. Enemies are waiting for us atop this hill" Robin readied his Blarraven "Everyone be vigilant and careful for any more ambushes"

"Ah how disappointing. The flier ambush tactic didn't work" an enemy Virion sighed atop the hill "What if we send the knight down south the strike them from behind?"

"The knight makes too much noise. They'll easily notice" a wyvern rider with long pink hair said "I think it's best that we wait until they come up, then we'll ambush them"

"I know! We'll send the mage knight and the knight on the pathway up the mountain to weaken them! Then me and you will finish them off! It's genius!" Virion flipped his teal hair proudly.

"Remember what Robin said about your tactics?" the wyvern rider reminded the archer "He said that you sacrifice too much to win a fight. If the knight and mage cavalier die, we'll be outnumbered four to two!"

"My dear Cherche, you underestimate the might of these Emblian soldiers" Virion said with no concern in his voice "I'm sure they'll be able to handle the Order of Heroes just fine"

Cherche sighed "Whatever you say, milord"

"Anyway, let us do it before the enemy reaches us" Virion turned to the mage knight and armor knight beside him "You two go down the eastern mountain path to block the Order of Heroes. Attempt to finish them off and if you can't, at least weaken them. Understand? Then go, my lovely soldiers!", and the two Emblians left.

The mage knight galloped to atop a cliff right above my troops and cast his Blarblade spell, raining spectral blue blades onto Robin. The blades smashed onto Robin's head and he was defeated instantly.

"What the hell?" I looked up and saw the mage knight preparing another attack "Nino! Strike him down!"

"Gronnblade!" Nino fired back her own swords and they clashed with the Emblian's in midair. Nino launched another volley like cannon fire towards the knight and he was too slow to attack back. The magic blades pierced the mage's chest once, then another impaled his face. The Axe Knight came trotting down the hill towards Eliwood. The sword cavalier noticed and slashed his Silver Sword down onto the knight's helmet. Eliwood's skill, Axebreaker kicked in and his second strike came in, shattering the Killer Axe the knight held. Without a weapon to fight with, the knight tried to retreat, but Eliwood slammed his blade into the knight's head, cleaving it in two. We rushed up the mountain and was met with Virion and Cherche. Cherche charged first with her Hammer while Virion stayed behind and launched arrows from his Silver Bow. Cherche slammed her heavy maul onto Eliwood, but the cavalier darted backwards to dodge and countered with his sword. Virion's arrow caught Eliwood's waist though and he staggered back, preventing his Axebreaker from destroying Cherche's weapon. As Eliwood fell back and knocked away Virion's arrow with his sword, Jeorge stepped up and shot his own arrow towards Cherche. The arrow impaled through Cherche's chest and she fell off her wyvern, dead on the cold ground. The dragon, outraged at Jeorge for killing it's rider, charged in a berserk rage towards the archer.

"Sorry about this" Jeorge calmly unleashed a flame-wreathed arrow and upon contact with the raging wyvern, it exploded into a line of fire, striking the beast dead and wounding Virion in the process by burning his chest.

"Ahh! Ahh! Someone get water!" Virion dropped his Silver Bow and frantically patted his vest, trying to douse the flames. That left him wide open for Nino to blast him with several magic blades. The first impaled Virion on the shoulder and the other skewered his face, leaving the archer bloody and dead on the ground. Moving past the gore and defeat of Robin, we continued on.

Atop the hill was a large clearing with several trees in our way. Five enemies were in our way this time: an Emblian Lance Cavalier, an Emblian Red Mage Cavalier, an Emblian Green Mage Cavalier, some girl who looks like Marth and a busty green haired woman who looks suspiciously like Tiki from the World of Mystery.

"Lady Tiki, the Order of Heroes are approaching. Please retreat. The Voice of Naga doesn't need to see this battle" the girly Marth said.

"No Lucina. These foes are strong and I am strong enough to stand in battle" Tiki replied "Please do not worry about me"

"I'm not doubting your power Lady Tiki, but what would happen if you fall in battle? It'll be the ravaged future Grima created all over again!" Lucina cried "I came here to prevent apocalypse and I cannot allow Grima to succeed again!"

"Lucina… as stubborn as ever" Tiki gave her a faint smile "But you make a good point. I'll fight, but I will remain in the backlines. Until I am needed"

Lucina sighed "If that's the best we can come up with, then fine. But don't expose yourself to danger. I'll protect you with my life"

"Very well"

"If we still had Robin, this would of been so much easier…" I gazed over the battlefield, trying to think of a strategy. The red mage cavalier and lance cavalier guarded the right pathway while Lucina defended the left. I could use Robin to lure and attack both, but he was defeated in the last battle, so I had to think of something else. I decided to have Nino take down the lance cavalier behind the woods to bait the red mage, then use Eliwood to kill him. Lucina and the green mage cavalier should follow through the left path and I can use Jeorge to weaken them before they catch us. If Jeorge fails to kill Lucina, Eliwood can finish her off while Nino deals with the mage cavalier. I didn't know how to deal with Tiki yet, but I'll think of something once everyone's been defeated. I told my troops their orders and the battle begun.

"Gronnblade!" Nino fired her swords onto the lance cavalier and killed him instantly. The red mage saw his companion go down and galloped forward, summoning an eruption of lava with Bolganone, but Jeorge pulled Nino back and Eliwood galloped behind the mage. Eliwood's Silver Sword pierced the mage's back and he fell to the ground dead. The green mage cavalier trotted towards Eliwood, firing a giant green wolf head with Gronnwolf, but Nino's Gronnblade intercepted the magic and both of them shattered. Nino launched a follow up attack and the mage staggered back, injured. Lucina rushed towards Eliwood while dodging Jeorge's arrow with a front flip. Lucina's Silver Sword clashed with Eliwood's blade and her sheer power nearly knocked Eliwood off his mount. The two lords pushed their swords against each other for a while longer, trying to break each other's guard. Suddenly, the mage cavalier shot Gronnwolf at Eliwood from behind Lucina and he got knocked back, allowing Lucina to leap with her sword and deliver a finishing blow. However, she forgot about Jeorge. The archer launched an arrow at Lucina while she was in the sky and shot her down by the armpit. Eliwood quickly charged and brought his blade down on the princess's head, but Lucina was trained very well and blocked the sword with her own, despite her injury.

"This isn't going well. I need to help!" Tiki gripped her dragonstone tightly and divine white light enveloped her body. When the light faded, Tiki was replaced with a giant gray dragon with silver scales. The manakete stomped over towards Eliwood and Lucina and shot a powerful Lightning Breath at the Lycian lord. Eliwood staggered back, extremely injured with blood staining his mouth and clothes. Lucina rose to attack, but Nino sent down a Gronnblade attack from the sky, stopping Lucina from striking Eliwood down. Jeorge followed up with a shot from his bow, but she swiftly dodged it again. While she was distracted by Jeorge's bow fire though, Eliwood managed to strike her with the flat of his blade on her chest. Once she landed, Jeorge fired again, finally catching her in the chest. The future princess laid on the ground, finally defeated. Nino struck down the green cavalier. Now all that was left was Tiki. The manakete blasted another shot of Lightning Breath towards Eliwood, but the cavalier managed to dodge despite his injuries and fatigue. His brought his sword down onto the dragon's arm and left a bleeding cut. Jeorge shot a volley of arrows at the dragon, with the four shot being wreathed in the inferno of Rising Flame. The arrows collided with the rock solid scales of the dragon and a few bounced off, but some found their mark and stuck themselves inside dragon Tiki's body. The Rising Flame arrow hit her in the face and exploded, creating a burning line of flame, charring Tiki's face black. Nino continued the onslaught with her Gronnblade and Tiki countered back, sending a bolt of lightning from her mouth towards Nino.

"Ahh!" Jeorge grabbed Nino, who was paralyzed with fear and pulled her behind him as the Lightning Breath struck down a tree, lighting it ablaze. Eliwood struck Tiki another two times with his blade and Jeorge continued launching arrows. Tiki tried to counter with her breath, but Eliwood did all he can to dodge the bolts, pushing his horse to the maximum limit. Suddenly, Tiki glowed with orange flames.

" **BONFIRE!** " the manakete roared and blasted an extreme bolt of lightning covered in fiery orange flames towards Eliwood. The cavalier's fatigue and injuries finally caught up to him and he couldn't dodge as Tiki's Bonfire bolt smashed him in the chest. Eliwood collapsed to the ground and faded away, the screams of frustration and agony from me, Nino and Jeorge resonating through the mountain.

"I've had enough!" Jeorge attacked with Rising Flame once again while Nino rained down Gronnblade with him. The arrow burst into an inferno of fire while the Gronnblade swords surrounded the dragon beast. The blades exploded, dealing an incredible amount of magic damage to the dragon. When the dust cleared, dragon Tiki swayed, lurching forward and backward before collapsing on the ground with a mighty thud, transforming into a beautiful woman before fading away.

"I think it'll be a good idea if we head back to Askr" Jeorge said as he slumped down onto the ground, his fingers gnarled and raw from shooting so many arrows.

"Yeah, Jeorge is right. This fight was so… so intense. Lord Eliwood and Sir Robin are gone and we're really tired. I don't think we can take on another squad" Nino continued "Please Lucian. Can we go back to the castle and get help?"

"Yeah… that's a good idea. Embla is strong. Too strong. If Robin was here, the fight could of been so much easier. Now, Eliwood is gone too. We don't stand a chance with two ranged attackers" I said "Let's go. The faster we move the faster we can finish this"

"This will… probably take a while then" Jeorge said as he stood up "My arms and fingers feel broken and it's hard to even walk"

"My tome suddenly feels so heavy now…" Nino panted "I don't think I can walk…"

"Nino's clearly spent, so I'll leave her at the castle. Jeorge, are you able to continue fighting?" I asked the archer.

"Forgive me, but no. Like I said, every bone in my body feels like it's broken. I will only hold you back" Jeorge replied.

"I'll leave you at the castle then. Go get some rest. You deserved it" then I faced Nino "Nino, is it okay for me to carry you back?"

"S-sure. That's fine…" Nino looked so woozy, she looked like she was about to collapse, so I put one arm on her legs and another on her back and picked her up. She was surprisingly light for her age. I had Jeorge hold her tomes as we walked back towards the portal leading to Askr.

When we came back, Anna asked us if the World of Awakening was liberated yet.

"I don't think it is, so I'm heading back in there with another squad" I said as I put Nino back on the ground. Lyn escorted the mage back to her room in the barracks.

"Who are you planning to bring?" Anna asked.

"Robin, Eliwood, Jeorge and Nino are all tuckered out, so I'm picking Lyn, Julia, Abel and Sophia to continue the fight" I said "Can you tell them to meet me in the lobby? I need to go get a snack"

"Sure thing Lucian. Good luck" Anna smiled and left for the barracks.

Later, we were back on the mountain peak in the World of Awakening. The sun was setting behind us as we made our way down the hill. Up ahead was an arena, made of sturdy wood and had painted yellow bands around it.

"This must be our final battle in the World of Awakening. Get ready everyone" I said and then I pushed the arena doors open. Inside the arena was a circular dueling grounds with a layer of breakable walls in the middle. Above us was an audience chamber, but it was empty. On the opposite side of the arena were five enemies: Lucina, Robin, an orange haired thief sucking a lollipop, an Emblian Axe Fighter and a Emblian Troubadour.

"Robin was right about the Order of Heroes being tricky to take on" Lucina acknowledged as she drew her sword, the legendary Falchion "Robin noted your tactician to be clever too, which is high praise from him. However, we'll stop you, with or without my father's help. Let's do this!"

"I'm right behind you Lucina. I've been waiting to test my tactics against their tactician again" the enemy Robin looked at me in the eye.

"Then let's go. For the future of our world, we will destroy this evil that has invaded our land. All troops, attack!" Lucina's Falchion glowed bright blue as she rose it into the air, signalling the battle to begin. I positioned Lyn to lure the Axe Fighter from the left side of the arena towards her, but Robin knew exactly what I was doing and charged towards Lyn's side, eager to take the weapon triangle advantage. But I knew how to layer my strategy too and sent Julia behind Lyn to blast Robin with powerful Naga magic. Turns out, Robin had the same plan as me and had Lucina shield Robin with her Falchion.

"Got you!" Abel came in charging and jabbed his Brave Lance twice onto Lucina. The second strike of his lance broke the Falchion in half and Abel went for another double strike, severely injuring Lucina. Before Lucina could counter with her broken Falchion, Abel galloped away. The troubadour however, came over and healed Lucina of her wounds.

"We have to stop that healer before she drags on this fight!" Lyn said "I'll distract Robin. Julia and Sophia can attack the healer behind the walls!"

"Good plan! Julia, Sophia! Attack the troubadour behind the walls in the center. We have to stop her from healing!" I called.

My mages stopped attacking Lucina and Robin and focused their magic on the troubadour. Before long, the troubadour fell from her horse and faded away, defeated. Now, nobody could heal Lucina's team. Abel attacked with another quad-strike on Lucina, slaying her on the third strike while Robin got blasted in the face by Julia's Naga, taking him down easily. Lyn finished the axe fighter in a single strike of her Sol Katti, then ran to defeat the thief, Gaius. Gaius threw his Rogue Dagger at Lyn and a thick blue shield wreathed around his body, softening Lyn's blows.

"The Rogue Dagger… raises defense and resistance. Don't… let him hit you…" Sophia advised.

Gaius continued weakening Lyn with his dagger throws until Julia came in and cried "Dragon Fang!". She cast Naga and the force of the attack seem to be amplified by 100. The Naga spell blasted Gaius through the arena wall and he landed on the ground hard, defeated. The World of Awakening was liberated, once again.

Lucina reappeared to us without her weapon as usual "Wait a minute, you were fighting to free us?"

"Yes we were" I replied "Sorry if we hurt you and your friends"

"It's fine. My head… feels so clear now. I wish to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Now, I can continue my quest to stop Grima" Lucina smiled fondly.

"By the way, did you happen to meet someone named Zacharias? He went missing from our realm a few months ago" I asked.

"Sorry, I don't believe to have met him" Lucina replied sadly "I know more than most what it feels like to have lost a beloved friend. I hope you and Zacharias are reunited soon. Now, my friends, farewell" and Lucina left the arena.

We went back to Askr, where Anna gave us some disturbing news.

"According to the spy reports, the attack on the World of Awakening was a diversion" Anna said "While you and your troops were in there, liberating the world, Embla would sneak in and attack our weakened defenses"

"Fortunate for us to come back so quickly" I breathed a sigh of relief "But when is their attack scheduled?"

Loud war horns blared in the distance.

"Right… now" Anna dropped the spy's report as legions of Emblians appeared marching towards the front door.

 **Author's Note: Wow, this took forever. Sorry for taking so long on this part. High school work has really made me unmotivated to continue working, but I'm glad I finished it. Please enjoy and be patient for the next part of A Summoner's Journey! (Also, what team are you going to be on in Long Hair vs Short Hair gauntlet? I'm picking Team Katarina)**


	12. Chapter 9: Heroes Invade

A Summoner's Journey

Chapter 9: Heroes Invade

 _Team for this chapter: Lyn, Julia, Abel and Sophia_

A man dressed in pitch black cloth and dark feathers ran into the Emblian castle throne room. He knelt at the foot of the throne and threw off his cowl.

"Princess Veronica! The Askrian force liberating the World of Awakening has returned! Do we draw back our troops or do we continue?" the thief asked.

"Continue our attack" Veronica said in monotone "It's only four more enemies to defeat. They won't make a difference in our grand army"

"Yes milady. Another thing, the Askrians haven't even touched our forces in the World of Blazing. Shall I go and bring the troops from there?"

"Yes. Do that" Veronica faced a tall, tanned, muscular and masked mage beside her "Lead the troops from the World of Blazing to Askr's doorstep. Make them regret their actions"

"Understood Princess" the man absently nodded and left the throne room. The sound of a horse neighing echoed through the empty Emblian palace and the mage knight trotted off.

"Return to Askr and gather more info for me" Veronica dismissed the thief and turned to her left "Xander, attend me"

"Yes, Princess Veronica?" Xander walked into the throne room, his steel-plated boots making loud thumps in the ominous room. He was holding a heavy-looking purple sheath in his right hand, with the jewel on Siegfried's crossguard glowing dark purple.

"Assemble our best men and escort me to the summoning ruins in Askr" Veronica ordered "There, we will destroy Askr's only way of creating more heroes. Understood?"

"I understand Princess. We'll leave in an hour" Xander bowed and left the room towards the barracks. Veronica gazed around the empty room wearily. She was lonely. She wanted company. Veronica sighed and opened her palm, summoning her personal magic tome, Elivagar.

"You are here to continue your father's quest, not to be a child" she chided to herself silently.

Meanwhile, a spy wearing white robes rushed through the backdoor of Askr's castle.

"Commander Anna! Sir Lucian! I have news of the enemy's whereabouts!" the thief exclaimed, panting.

"Hurry up and tell us!" Anna cried impatiently as the marching of Embla grew closer.

"A wyvern rider and a cavalier by the names of Michalis and Camus are leading their forces from the south towards the palace gardens!" the thief reported "A mage knight named Ursula is attacking from the north west and an armor knight squadron led by King Zephiel is advancing from the north!"

"We'll be surrounded in mere minutes…" Alfonse muttered "Any reports of Veronica moving?"

"Sadly, no Prince Alfonse. Please forgive me!" the thief hung his hand low in shame.

"We have bigger things to worry about than them" Anna said "We'll deploy a line of Askrian guards to defend the front door and another to guard behind us. We can follow the same strategy as back when Eldigan attacked"

"I'll take Lyn, Julia, Abel and Sophia to meet our enemies head on" I said "We'll tackle Michalis and Camus first, then Zephiel and then Ursula. Hopefully, we'll be able to disable their generals before their army reaches us"

"Alright, let's hurry!" Sharena said "We don't have much time!"

I brought up my troops's skill menus and taught Sophia "Dragon Fang" while also giving her Warding Blow 2 and Fortify Resistance 1. I upgraded Abel's Holy Vestments to Aegis and also gave him Swordbreaker 3. I gave Galeforce to Lyn as well as Defiant Attack 3 and finally, upgraded Julia's Breath of Life 2 to Breath of Life 3. I shut off the skill menus and led my troops out the backdoor.

We arrived at a forest south of Askr Castle. As the spy said, a wyvern rider and a cavalier were leading the attack force comprising of an Emblian Lance Flier along with a Emblian Red Mage Cavalier.

"Ah, so the pesky flies have decided to make the first move" the wyvern rider said in a sharp voice "Veronica informed me that you'll be in my way, but will you be worth my time? Let's find out. Camus of Grust, to battle!"

The cavalier Camus raised his lance, which was different from any other lance I've seen before "On my honor as a knight and the power of Gradivus, I will slay the foe before us. My deepest apologies to the foe"

Michalis spat beside him "Pah, too honorable. Too soft" and he raised his axe, the Hauteclere "All forces, attack! Destroy the Order of Heroes!"

I sent Abel and Julia to the right side to deal with Camus and the red mage knight. Lyn and Sophia were sent to the right to fight Michalis. The mage knight galloped forward, making the ground explode with Bolganone+. Abel managed to avoid it and strike the mage knight twice with his lance, taking him down easily. Camus however, wouldn't go without putting up a fight. The sable knight jabbed his Gradivus down onto Abel in expert fashion, then slammed the spearhead onto Abel's chest. Julia launched a Naga strike from behind Abel, but Camus threw Gradivus like a javelin at the mage and it got stuck in her leg. Abel took advantage of the distraction and attacked twice with his Brave Lance. Camus blocked the dual strike with his shield and thrust his hand forward. The Gradivus glowed bright yellow and rocketed back to Camus's hand, expelling a large cloud of blood from Julia's leg. Camus struck Abel hard in the stomach, then reared back, his spear pulsing with electricity.

"What a pity" Camus galloped back, then charged, stabbing Abel in the chest.

"Growing… THUNDER!" Camus willed his Gradivus to burst in a line of electricity, turning Abel into a heap of ash and severely wounding Julia.

"Away with you!" Julia glowed with blue light, then rose her Naga tome. Camus tried to stop her, but the force of Dragon Fang knocked him back. A gigantic spectral dragon rose from Julia's tome and roared, sending a powerful shockwave towards Camus. The attack was overwhelmingly powerful and amplified a ton by Dragon Fang. The blast knocked Camus off his horse and he tumbled into a tree, defeated. Meanwhile on the other side, Lyn and Sophia were doing their best to combat Michalis and the Lance Flier. Lyn's Sol Katti attacks barely made a dent in Michalis's armor and Sophia was barely avoiding the Lance Flier's attacks. Lyn slashed the flier in the back and turned to counter a Hauteclere strike from Michalis. Suddenly, Michalis flew into the air, his axe pulsing with red electricity.

"Consider this an honor, insect. BLAZING THUNDER!" Michalis slammed his axe down onto Lyn and sent a huge wave of electricity on their path, snapping down trees and causing a forest fire. Lyn fortunately got away from Michalis's axe, but the electric shockwave managed to wound her. The Lance Flier charged with her Silver Lance+ towards Sophia, but Lyn blocked the lance with her blade and cut the flier's neck off.

"Lyn… distract Michalis. I got… my special ready…" Sophia said and Lyn nodded, running towards Michalis with her sword. Sophia opened her Fenrir tome and murmured an incantation. She shut the magic tome and cried as loud as she could "Dragon Fang!"

Purple flames rapidly started surrounding Michalis. They reared back and rammed into the wyvern rider, erupting in a massive purple inferno. Michalis roared in anger, but he couldn't resist the attack and when the flames died down, Michalis was no more. All was left was a heap of ash.

Michalis reappeared in flash of light without his axe or mount "You defeated me? Impossible! Yet I must admit that your group has proven themselves strong today. Should our paths cross again, don't expect me to be so merciful" and the wyvern rider disappeared in the shade of the burned down trees.

We went back to Askr castle, where we picked up Robin to replace Abel, then we headed north. We encountered Zephiel's armor knight squad at the plain nearby a large river. The squad consisted of Zephiel himself, a Lance Knight, an Axe Knight and a Cleric. Zephiel was huge, easily towering over his men. He wore a kingly purple robe and heavy armor beneath it. In his hand was a tall scepter, taller than his men and even himself.

"Hmph, the Order of Heroes we've kept hearing about shows themselves? You band is nothing more than colony of insects!" Zephiel said in a gruff voice "My team of armor knights will walk over you. Come! You shall not bar my path!"

Zephiel's scepter in his right hand shifted, mechanically morphing into a gigantic blade. I doubt anybody could even lift it, but Zephiel swung the sword around like it was a stick. Robin attacked first, sending a cloud of ravens towards Zephiel, then backed away, taking advantage of his low speed. Zephiel flinched from the attack and rose his sword , the Eckesachs into the air. Then, he slammed it forwards, sending a wave of light towards Robin. Robin staggered from the attack, but wasn't extremely hurt. Lyn attacked the Axe Knight on the left of Zephiel with her sword, but the knight retreated every time she struck, currency of his Wary Fighter skill. The cleric behind the squad kept on healing the knights, dragging on the fight and tiring out my troops.

"Lyn! Ignore the axe knight and target the cleric!" I called and Lyn obeyed, slashing the axe knight to activate Galeforce. A burst of wind appeared beneath Lyn's feet and she rushed behind the axe knight to cut the cleric down in two hits. Then, Lyn stabbed the knight in the back, forcing him to turn around. Using the knight's speed against him, Lyn darted behind him again and ran her Sol Katti through, taking more of the knight's life away. The enemy quickly realized this pattern however and swung his Silver Axe+ in a circle, cleaving off parts of Lyn's clothes and made a long bleeding cut on her chest. The pain made a red aura burst beneath her feet. Lyn, powered up by Defiant Attack, charged in a rage and smashed her sword onto the knight's helmet. The steel helm broke into pieces and the knight was knocked back.

"By my sword!" Lyn leaped and cleaved the man's head into two. The knight stumbled around, blood spouting like a sprinkler until he collapsed on the ground with a massive thud. Two foes down, two to go. That's what Lyn thought until a wyvern rider appeared over the river, carrying a Emerald Axe. Narcian rammed into Lyn with his axe, but due to his weapon being… an Emerald Axe, Lyn easily took him down with a Defiant Attack-boosted strike. Meanwhile, Robin was still fighting Zephiel. Zephiel also carried Wary Fighter, making Robin only able to strike once before Zephiel retreated. But after three Blarraven+ attacks, Robin managed to break through Zephiel's Wary Fighter. Robin rose his tome to finish the king off, but Zephiel had other ideas. Zephiel rose his Eckesachs into the sky and lightning struck it, knocking Robin to the ground.

"You won't get in my way!" Zephiel's blood that covered his robe glowed blood red and he used it to power up his special, Reprisal. Zephiel launched a wave of light energy towards Robin, boosted by Reprisal. The wave hit Robin hard, but he survived.

"Time to tip the scales!" Robin countered with his own special and finally took down Zephiel with a Bonfire-charged Blarraven+.

"Im...pressive…" Zephiel murmured before collapsing on the ground and fading. Julia finished off the Lance Armor and the battle was done.

We moved to the west, where we found Ursula leading her squad of Emblians. There was an Emblian Sword Cavalier, an Emblian Green Mage Knight, an Emblian Axe Knight and an Emblian Lance Knight.

"Oh, I've never had my target come to me before" Ursula said, feigning surprise "That just makes my job easier then. Prepare yourself!"

I sent Julia into the woods on the left to attack the Lance Knight while I sent Lyn to attack the Axe Knight on the right. The Lance Knight fell easily under Julia's magic, but Lyn took more time to pierce the Axe Knight's armor. Unfortunately, Ursula wasn't patient. She galloped behind Lyn and opened her tome.

"Blarwolf!" she called and huge blue wolf head rammed into Lyn's back. Lyn barely avoided falling into the axe knight's attack and glared at Ursula.

"Ursula, I remember you! You were hunting Ninian and Nils!" Lyn accused.

"Ah, I recognize you too. You were the lording that tried to protect Prince Zephiel, Jaffar and Nino back in the Bern Manse" Ursula smiled cruelly.

"Take this!" Lyn slashed at Ursula's arm with her Sol Katti, injuring the mage knight.

"Oh, where's your Mani Katti?" Ursula taunted, then shot a blast of Blarwolf at Lyn.

"I don't need it to kill you!" Lyn dodged the magic blast and slashed at Ursula's chest, leaving a cut on her waist. The Axe Knight came out of the trees and tried to protect Ursula, but he was weakened enough for Lyn to easily kill him in one stab. Ursula took advantage of the knight's distraction and hit Lyn again with her Blarwolf, leaving her hanging on by the thread. Lyn gritted her teeth and her Defiant Attack aura came back to life. Lyn ran with blazing speed and slashed Ursula on the leg, then finished the Black Fang assassin off with a uppercut to the face. Ursula toppled off her horse and faded away. Meanwhile, Robin was able to finish off the Sword Cavalier, but the Green Mage Knight proved troublesome for the tactician. Luckily, Sophia and Julia were nearby and together, they overpowered the mage knight and killed him, ending the fight. Triumphant, we headed back to Askr Castle.

On the way back to Askr Castle however, we came across some old ruins and an unfamiliar face.

"It's you" the man said.

"Huh? Do you know me?" I asked the man.

"You're that summoner Veronica is so obsessive about. I demand that you turn back. Now" the man said darkly.

"You're standing in our way of Askr Castle. We will not back down" Lyn said boldly.

"You don't wish to keep your lives? Fine. I'll bury you right here" the man rose his hand and a purple portal opened nearby the ruins. Four Emblian troops came out of the portal: an Axe Knight, two Clerics and a Bow Cavalier. Then, three heroes came out of the portal: Lyn, Eliwood and a blue haired armor man wielding a golden axe.

"Wait… those guys are from the World of Blazing!" I mentally slapped myself " _Dammit, I forgot to liberate the World of Blazing!"_

"You were foolish, forgetting to free the World of Blazing" the man hopped onto his horse and opened his magic tome "Now, I will turn your mistakes against you! Troops, attack!"

The man and the Emblian soldiers retreated into the old fort while Lyn, Eliwood and the armored man stood in front of us. My Lyn attacked first, striking the armored man in the chest with her sword.

"You're strong, but could never beat me in a duel" the armored man said and swung his axe, the legendary Armads down onto Lyn.

"This time will be different Hector!" Lyn dodged the axe strike and attacked Hector in the shoulder, leaving a dent in his armor. Meanwhile, my other heroes were dealing with the enemy Lyn and Eliwood. Robin was fighting Eliwood, but Eliwood had a strangely high resistance to magic. He managed to blow through two Blarraven+ attacks and hit hard with his Durandal, the huge broadsword lighting on fire before striking the tactician. Fortunately, Robin had high defense for a mage and managed to take multiple attacks before being worn down.

"Now, take this!" Eliwood's body glowed light blue and ice glazed onto his blade before he charged, hitting Robin with a Iceberg-charged attack.

" _What a minute. Eliwood doesn't have Iceberg. How did the enemy Eliwood use it?"_ I wondered.

"Here's how it's done!" Robin burned with glowing heat and launched a powerful Bonfire attack, tearing through Eliwood's resistance and taking the sword cavalier down. Meanwhile, Lyn managed to wear down Hector through repeated strikes of her sword. However, every once in awhile, a thick blue shield would project over Hector's body and it would shield him from Lyn's next attack.

"Sophia! Assist Lyn in attacking Hector!" I called and the red mage stopped attacking the enemy Lyn. Sophia stood behind my Lyn and fired Fenrir attacks on Hector, but Hector did someone I thought I'll never see.

He threw his axe.

Hector held his Armads like a tomahawk and threw it boomerang style at Sophia. The axe instantly cleaved Sophia in two and she fell to the ground, defeated. I looked over Sophia's mauled body in shock. How did Hector do that? I concentrated on Hector, who was still dueling Lyn and brought up his skill menu. I saw a skill in his A slot called "Distant Counter", which allowed him to attack back at any range.

" _Son of a gun_ " I silently cursed.

With nobody to guard Julia, the enemy Lyn began chasing the green mage and Lyn was easily catching up. Lyn's Sol Katti was about to hit Julia's leg when Robin caught the blade with his hands. The sword made a deep gash in his palms, but Robin held on, kicking Lyn in the stomach with his boot. The swordswomen skittered back and Robin unleashed Blarraven+ onto her. Lyn survived, but Julia finished her off with a swift blast of Naga. Meanwhile, my Lyn finally defeated Hector, after what felt like a million sword attacks. When Hector faded, Lyn dropped to the ground, panting.

"Don't rest yet. That man and the Emblians are still within this fort" Robin said and Lyn got up.

"Yes, of course. I can still fight" Lyn huffed, but she managed to smile and stand up straight.

"I detect a bow cavalier on the right side of the fort" Julia said "And the man on the left. How should we approach this Lucian?"

"I'm going to send Robin on the right to deal with the bow cavalier. His Blarraven+ can get the triangle advantage against bows, daggers and staves" I said "Julia, you can go to the left and lure the man out. I managed to read him before he left into the fort. He's a blue mage knight"

"Got it. Good luck everyone" Julia said softly, then she went over to the left side of the fort. She waited there for a second before she heard the man's voice from behind the wall.

"Valaskjalf!"

Suddenly, a permafrost formed underneath Julia and sharp ice crystals jutted into her feet. Julia managed to resist it and attacked back with her Naga spell. The man took the attack hard due to Julia's triangle advantage, but was able to survive. The Cleric beside him healed his wounds and the man attacked again. Julia dodged the ice crystals and glowed with a swirling white aura.

"May the gods protect me!" Julia launched her Naga strike again, which was powered up by Dragon Fang. The sheer force of the blow smashed apart the fort's walls and blasted the man to the ground incredibly wounding him. The man seemed incapable of fighting anymore, so Julia looked around at her comrades. Robin faced her and gave her a thumbs up, signalling that the bow cavalier was dead. Lyn emerged from inside the fort, reporting that she slain the axe knight and the two clerics. Now it was time to confront the man behind the mask.

"Urk, I can't keep… fighting" the man groaned under the pile of rubble Julia buried him in.

"Tell us what you know. Why is Embla attacking Askr?" Robin grabbed the man by the collar.

"Hmph, you Order of Heroes… so naive. By fighting me, you bought more time for Veronica and her forces to attack the summoning ruins" the man informed us.

"Why would she want to do that?" Lyn asked.

"To cut off your source of power of course" the man looked at me "You should go, before they succeed in their plan"

"Why are you revealing this to us?" I asked.

"That's a secret I have to keep. Now, farewell" and the man vanished in a burst of light.

After the man vanished, Robin turned to me "How should we go about this Lucian?"

"We should at least check the summoning ruins, in case he was telling the truth" I replied.

"Just in case though, we should pick up someone to replace Sophia. She was defeated in the last fight" Lyn advised.

"Right, let's go back to Askr Castle" I said.

After picking up Lon'qu from the castle, we made our way towards the summoning ruins. As the man told us, Princess Veronica and her forces were approaching.

"Now, just HOW did you know that we'd be here?" Veronica asked, genuinely surprised.

"Someone must of leaked our plans to them" Xander said beside the princess "Shall we continue our attack on the ruins?"

"Press forward with our assault. Lucian being here makes it much more easier. After all, why destroy the summoning ruins when we can kill Lucian once and for all?" Veronica got a sinister look in her eyes.

"Understood Princess. Lucian, I'm afraid your life ends here. You were a fool to try and save the ruins. In the end, it cost you your life" Xander said sternly, drawing his legendary sword, Siegfried.

"You'll have to get through us first" Robin glared at the prince of Nohr, "We will not allow you to destroy the ruins or kill Lucian. He's our friend and we'll protect him to the very end!"

"Such loyalty. Let's see how it holds up. If you have come to play, then I'll provide the game. Let's begin!" Veronica held out her hand. A sickly green orb formed and a book formed in her palm, her personal tome Elivagar. Then, the princess snapped her fingers. An Emblian Sword Fighter, Blue Mage and Troubadour appeared out of thin air and joined Veronica in battle. Xander rose his Siegfried to the sky "For Embla! Forces, attack!"

"For Askr!" all my troops yelled and they ran to meet the enemy. I sent Robin to deal with Xander and sent Lyn and Lon'qu to fight Veronica. Julia was sent to the far right to deal with the blue mage. Robin dealt the first blow by shooting a cloud of Blarraven+ at Xander. Xander managed to survive and countered with a bolt of dark magic at the tactician. While Robin was knocked back, Xander shot another bolt, courtesy of his B slot skill, Quick Riposte. Robin managed to regain his footing and attacked with another swarm of ravens, dealing heavy damage to Xander and knocking him off his horse.

"How can I be so… careless…?" Xander murmured as he faded away. Meanwhile, the blue mage shot a powerful bolt of Thoron+ at Julia, but Julia's magical resistance was sky high. She took the attack like it was nothing and attacked back with Naga. The Naga shockwave knocked the mage off his feet, but he managed to stand. The mage glowed with faint white light and an image of a night sky and moon burned into the air.

"Moonbow!" the mage called and launched his Thoron+ spell, the Moonbow special attack piercing her magical defense. But it didn't kill her. Julia cast Naga again and killed the mage. The troubadour came trotting quickly towards Julia and rose her staff. A powerful force of gravity stopped her from moving and left her wide open for the sword fighter to cut her down with his Killing Edge+. Julia fell to the floor, defeated. Robin dashed to the right side to deal with them. Meanwhile, Lyn and Lon'qu were dueling with Veronica. Veronica's defense was on par with Robin, which meant she was unusually bulky for a mage. Her tome Elivagar caused a green mist to spread over the battlefield, turning Lyn's Defiant Attack aura against her. What normally done a ton of damage to Veronica turned into Lyn's Sol Katti bouncing off of Veronica's face. Fortunately, Lon'qu didn't seem affected and dealt a fair amount of damage to Veronica. The Emblian princess willed green mist to surround Lyn and then the mist exploded, sending Lyn crashing into the jeweled wall where the coloured orbs were. Lyn slid down the wall, leaving a long trail of blood, then faded away. Veronica turned back to see Lon'qu dashing towards her.

"You're no challenge" Lon'qu jumped and delivered a swift triple slash of his sword with Glimmer. That left Veronica covered in cuts and blood, but she used her wounds to strengthen her attacks.

"I have no use for you…" Veronica's bloody wounds on her dress started glowing dark red and she shouted "Reprisal!"

Green mist started swarming Lon'qu and they exploded, sending him flying towards a column in the ruins. Lon'qu was badly injured, but he managed to stand and rush back into the fight. Veronica shot another blast of Elivagar, but Lon'qu skill, Vantage activated and he swiftly avoid the magic, dealing a hard blow on the princess's shoulder. Veronica was stunned for a moment, then Lon'qu activated his special.

"No hard feelings" Lon'qu jumped and finally finished the Emblian princess off with Glimmer. The green mist all around the field slowly dissipated as Veronica fell to her knees, the tome of Elivagar falling on the ground. All of the Emblian troops were dead. Veronica was defeated. The ruins were silent. The battle has been won.

"Why?" Veronica murmured as we stood over her.

"What?" I asked.

"Why… why do I keep losing? It's not fair!" Veronica suddenly yelled, tears forming in her eyes.

Me and my troops remained silent as Veronica continued to rant.

"Your kingdom has everything! So many heroes… a summoner… and a pretty realm that's healthy, wealthy and happy! Why… why do you keep tormenting me?! I have nothing! Nothing that matters!" Veronica put her hands on her eyes and continued to bawl.

Robin approached the princess, "Princess Veronica, are you just waging this war to try and improve your kingdom? Are you just in need of resources?"

"I-I don't know…" Veronica never looked so broken and frail, but suddenly, yellow light began gathering around her feet, pushing Robin back.

"A warp circle…" Robin murmured "Veronica! Where are you going?!"

But the princess didn't respond as the warp circle vanished her from the summoning ruins.

"There's nothing we can do but go home" I said, my heart heavy from all the fighting "Come on, let's leave"

The mood at the castle wasn't as happy as I expected. Alfonse, Sharena and Anna looked grim as I approached. All my heroes were assembled in the lobby, covered in dust and blood among other things.

"We routed them, but I doubt that's the last we'll be seeing of Embla" Alfonse said.

"Veronica gave us some insight of her thoughts of the war when we defeated her" Robin informed "Would you like me to share them with you?"

"Yes please. Thank you" Anna said.

Robin recounted what Veronica told me at the summoning ruins.

"She was bawling about how we have everything and she doesn't have anything of value" Robin said "If she's telling the truth, then we're the villains in this whole war because we aren't providing for her people"

"But I don't understand" Sharena put her finger on her chin "The last Emperor of Embla, Veronica's father, hoarded heroes and warred with Askr. After he died, the war was declared over. Veronica could've asked for supplies if she needed them"

"Yet she continued the war anyways, but for what purpose?" Alfonse wondered aloud.

"Perhaps it's the support of her advisors and people that spurred her late father's ambition forward" Anna theorized.

"But even with all that support, Veronica seemed very… lonely. I felt that when we battled her" Lyn pointed out.

"Does that mean Veronica is hoarding heroes and invading Askr because she's lonely? This has a gone for the worst" Alfonse faced me, eye to eye "Lucian, please stay with us. The Order of Heroes is going to need you for the battles ahead"

"Of course. I won't leave until this world is at peace" I nodded.

Later, I took a walk alone in the forests outside Askr Castle. The recent battles have drained me hard. A heard a twig snap beside me and turned to see the masked man from before.

"Greetings summoner" the masked man said, as if we never fought at all.

"I suppose I owe you a thank you. Without you warning us, the summoning ruins would of been-" I began, but the man cut me off.

"Say no more. I heard from your conversation with Lucina in the World of Awakening that you're looking for someone?" the man asked.

"Yes, Alfonse's good friend, Zacharias" I replied.

"You can stop searching. You'll never see him again" the man said, not a hint of sadness or comfort in his voice.

"Well, did you see him anywhere? How do you know?" I asked suspiciously.

"That's all I have to say on the matter. Farewell" and the man vanished in a flash of light, like he was never there.

 **Author's Note: Woo, got this all out in one day! Because I completely forgot about World of Blazing (Sorry!), I'm going to have Lucian and his crew liberate it next chapter. Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows!**


	13. Chapter 7: World of Blazing

A Summoner's Journey

Chapter 7: World of Blazing **(Because I forgot to write it before Return to Awakening)**

 _Team for this chapter: Robin, Marth, Klein and Narcian_

 _Current heroes: Alfonse, Sharena, Anna, Virion, Eliwood, Caeda, Odin, Niles, Maria, Robin, Chrom, Lyn, Olivia, Nino, Seliph, Julia, Abel, Serra, Lon'qu, Felicia, Jeorge, Kagero, Fir, Sophia, Narcian, Frederick, Gaius, Gordin, Marth and Klein_

The morning after the attack from Embla, several postcards arrived in the mail. The first was a summoning banner with six heroes that I've seen before. The words "Sibling Bonds" were written on the top. The postcard depicted Eldigan, Lachesis, Klein, Sanaki, Reinhardt and Olwen, everyone who attacked Askr not too long ago. The second was another summoning banner, titled "Battling Robin" with Hawkeye, Fir, Maria and Adult Tiki depicted on it. Finally, the third card was a letter telling us that the Grand Hero Battle featuring Female Robin has begun and the card inside the envelope can be used to summon Robin's battle. I decided to summon with the Sibling Bonds card first, so I took my entire stash of orbs from my chest in my arms and loaded them into a wheelbarrow in the lobby. I asked Robin and Lyn to accompany me to the summoning ruins and they agreed. We barely talked on the walk towards the bloody ruins. Lyn was still twitching in pain from when Veronica slammed her onto the wall and walking made Robin wheeze. When we finally made it to the ruins, I slid the Sibling Bonds banner into the usual slot and unclasped the Breidablik, loading the barrel with my five orbs.

After all my orbs were gone, I was somewhat disappointed with the results. I got 1 Odin, 2 Fredericks, 1 Gaius and 1 Gordin, but the real prizes were a 4 star Marth and a 5 star Klein. Alfonse was uneasy, seeing Marth walk into the Askrian castle, but welcomed him nevertheless. Klein looked a little unsure about his surroundings, so Eliwood and Fir took his side.

"I'm sure you remember me Klein. I'm Fir. I was in Roy's army" Fir said excitedly and Klein's nervous face melted instantly.

"Oh thank goodness you're here Fir. I thought I would be alone in this new world without anybody I know" Klein breathed a sigh of relief.

"You don't know me, but I was in your world once" Eliwood said, prompting Klein to look at him in the eyes "I am Eliwood, marquess of Pharae and the father of Roy, the leader of the army you were in"

"You are Marquess Pharae?" Klein fell to one knee and bowed "Milord, I was so very glad to have joined your son's army. He's a very talented leader"

Eliwood laughed "Thank you, but rise Klein. Here, I am fighting with everyone as an equal comrade. There isn't a need for formalities or special treatment"

"Ah, of course" Klein got up "Would you mind showing me around this place and getting me acquainted with the others?"

"No problem!" Fir grinned.

"Let's go to the palace gardens first. Come along you two" Eliwood said and the three went off. Meanwhile, Caeda and Marth were embracing each other in the corner of the lobby.

"Marth, I thought I'll never see you again!" Caeda wrapped her arms over Marth's neck affectionately "Did anything happen in Altea?"

"No, everything's fine Caeda" Marth replied with a warm smile, looking at his wife "After you disappeared from the castle, I told Chris and Katarina that they're in charge of the castle in case I came here too"

"Ah, so Chris and Katarina are taking care of Altea for us. That's reassuring" Caeda rested her head under Marth's neck "This is wishful thinking, but do you think Lucian will be able to summon them? I want both of them to be with us in this beautiful place"

"If I wasn't a prince, I would have wished for that too" Marth said, stroking Caeda's long sea-blue hair "But who would take care of Altea in our and their absence?"

"Frey and Cain could" Caeda suggested "But maybe not for a long time"

"Hmm… Roderick wouldn't be a bad choice to run the country for a bit. He's knowledgeable, calm and strategic, qualities needed in a leader" Marth thought aloud.

"Ha ha, what about his partner Luke?" Caeda said jokingly.

"Ho… don't even mention him. A good fighter, but poor Cecil and Norne had to deal with his relentless flirting for weeks. Good thing Roderick reins him in" Marth sighed.

"Why don't I introduce you to the people here, along with show you around?" Caeda offered her hand to Marth and the prince took it "Askr is an amazingly beautiful place and I've made many good friends here"

"That's good to hear. Lead the way Caeda" Marth smiled

After some introductions, sightseeing and eating, I took Marth and Klein into the Training Tower along with Serra and Maria to train.

"You know, Alfonse mentioned you as the wielder of the legendary Falchion" I commented as Marth struck out an enemy Axe Knight "So why are you holding a Silver Sword?"

"After the War of Heroes, I placed the Falchion in a shrine dedicated to Naga in Altea" Marth replied "After all, the Falchion was made from Naga's fangs"

"But why don't you carry it around with you at all times? Just in case someone attacks you" Klein asked, sniping a Lance Flier down with his Brave Bow.

"Like I said earlier, Falchion is a legendary blade created by the king of the divine dragons. I'd rather not whet it in more blood if a battle isn't to be fought" Marth said.

I sighed "Well, you seem to be doing fine with that Silver Sword, so I'll let it pass for now" I gazed around the third stratum chambers. It was empty aside from the corpses and weapons of dead Emblian soldiers.

"Looks like we're done here. Let's move to the fourth stratum" I said, leading my heroes to the next floor.

An hour later, Marth and Klein were up and ready to go. From the skill points they gained from levelling up, I gave Klein Death Blow 2 and Marth Spur Speed 2 and Escape Route 1. I also gave Klein a special attack called Chilling Wind. When I returned to Askr Castle, I called Robin and Narcian to the lobby.

"According to Anna, the World of Blazing is the last world we need to liberate from Embla's control" I said "So we're heading there today"

"Sounds good. Who are you planning to bring?" Robin asked.

"You, Marth, Klein and Narcian" I said and Robin nodded in approval.

"Good choices. It covers all the areas of the Weapon Triangle" Robin smiled "Are we leaving now?"

"Yes, we are. Narcian, Marth and Klein! Come with me!" I called and my troops followed me towards the portal courtyard, although Robin had to go get Narcian because he was trying to "assert his dominance" by attempting to fight some of my other heroes in the training yard.

"Come on Narcian, just let it go" Robin urged as Narcian swung his Emerald Axe down onto Lon'qu, but it was easily evaded.

"I'll leave the moment I hit this damn guy!" the wyvern rider slashed his axe in a circle, but Lon'qu effortlessly blocked it with his Killing Edge.

"You're no challenge" Lon'qu unleashed Glimmer and dealt heavy damage to Narcian, coating him with his own blood. As Narcian struggled to get up, Lon'qu pointed his blade at the wyvern rider's face "Yield"

"Yield? Never!" Narcian's blood glowed red as he rose his axe to attack "Retribution!"

Narcian rose his axe over his head and slammed it down onto Lon'qu. The swordsman blocked, but Retribution strengthened Narcian's attack and he managed a gaping cut on Lon'qu chest.

"Ha ha! Finally!" Narcian pumped his fist in triumph, but Lon'qu swiped his sword across Narcian's face, dealing the killing blow. Robin sighed and slapped his face while Maria healed Narcian's wounds.

"I demand a rematch!" Narcian yelled, but Robin grabbed his collar and dragged him to the lobby "Let me go, you lowly worm!"

"Worms eat animal poop for nutrition. You're the poop" Robin said as he continued dragging Narcian through the hallway.

"Gah! Let me go, I can't breath!"

Going through the portal to the World of Blazing, we arrived in a plains clearing with old ruins, high mountains and rotted trees.

"This place… looks familiar" Robin mused, then he snapped his fingers "Oh right, this is the Dread Isle. This particular place was the spot for Chapter 18x of "Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade". It was called "Imprisoner of Magic""

"Imprisoner of Magic, huh?" I said gazing around the quiet forest and misty air in the sky "What does that mean?"

"According to the book, it stated that Lord Eliwood and his army encountered a "Magic Seal" in this area, which seals all magic in a large radius" Robin explained.

"Interesting. Let's hope that "Magic Seal" doesn't appear, for your sake Robin" I laughed.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from behind the mountain. A cleric wearing a fancy, tight white robe came towards us, walking in a royal manner, as if she was a queen. She looked exactly like Serra.

"Ah, we've been expecting you. You're the ones from another realm Lord Eliwood warned us about" Serra said in her usual high manner, as if she was expecting everyone to bow down to her "I don't know what all the fuss is about. You don't look very impressive. Not compared to a renowned lady like me—or my vassals. Now, we will show you your place!" and Serra ran back behind the mountain.

"Vassals? What is she talking about-" Klein began before narrowly dodging a Rogue Dagger that came from his right.

"Thieves! They are hiding in the trees here!" Robin warned as more knives began to fly at us. A kunai shaped dagger missed Robin and hit the brown mountain beside us. When it struck, it released a cloud of white smoke, blinding us.

"Robin! You're good at fighting dagger users. Get in there!" I commanded before doubling over to hack and wheeze. Robin charged into the fray, tanking at least 4 dagger shots. He located a thief up atop the mountain and knocked it down with Blarraven+, making the ninja crash onto the ground. A Poison Dagger flew at him from his left and Robin instinctively summoned a wall of spirit ravens to block it. He then sent the wall of magic towards the thief in the woods, smashing down a couple trees in the process. Robin cocked his ear to hear if the thief was crushed by a tree, but Narcian's surprised yelp confirmed that he was still alive. Luckily, the smoke from the Smoke Dagger vanished and Marth slashed the thief with his sword, with Narcian finished it. With the smoke clear, Marth, Klein and Narcian were free to assist Robin.

"Hey, let us take a few shots Robin" Klein joked slightly as he shot an arrow through a thief's chest. Only Serra and a thief named Matthew were left. Matthew threw his Rogue Dagger at Robin, but it bounced off his chest effortlessly. The tactician glowed with orange flames, then thrust his hand out, opening Blarraven+ with his other hand.

"Bonfire!"

A swarm of fiery ravens streamed from his outstretched hand and bombarded Matthew and Serra, defeating them instantly. Serra survived, but a quick shot from Klein's bow brought the cleric down. Up in the sky, Narcian found a path ahead to the left and before we departed, Serra reappeared in a flash of magic.

"Yowch! What's the big idea, attacking little old me?" Serra asked irritatingly.

"Well… you attacked us first…" Robin said offhandedly, but Serra ignored him.

"You nasty brutes! I'm going to be gracious and bow out, but I'm telling you, Lord Eliwood won't be as nice!" and Serra vanished into thin air. We headed down the western path, making our way through the heavy fog of the Dread Isle until we arrived at a clearing with bright sunshine and lush green fields, as if we stepped into a mirage.

"We were just in a foggy field with rotted trees. How did we end up here?" Marth asked, looking around the plain with awe.

"There's no time to gawk. Enemies approach" Robin said and the clanking of armor rang across the field. The clopping of two horses came from down south.

"Where's Hector? We were supposed to meet up here along with Lyn" Eliwood said, searching the plains for his friend "But I can't shout, lest those Askrians find me"

Meanwhile on the Northern side of the field…

"ELIWOOD! ARE YOU HERE?!" Hector shouted at the top of his lungs and the Emblian Lance Knight nudged his arm.

"Shh! The Askrians could be nearby! Keep a low profile!" the knight chided, but Hector ignored him, continuing to yell out Eliwood's name.

"Soldier, do you have a status report?" Eliwood asked the Green Mage Knight next to him.

"Yes, I do sir" the mage knight pulled a piece of parchment from the bag on his horse's side "The report states that the Askrians were last seen on the Dread Isle, battling Serra and Matthew"

"The Dread Isle is more than 100 miles from Santaruz, so we're safe for now" Eliwood said, then looked over the field again "Oh! There's Hector and his Emblian escort. HECTOR!"

"Oy, Eliwood's over there!" the Lance Knight pointed to the cavalier waving his arm at Hector from behind a hill.

"Ah! Good thing we found him. Let's hurry!" Hector urged.

"And… now!" Robin called and Marth sprang from behind the trees, stabbing Hector in the back with his Silver Sword. The Lance Knight reared back to gut Marth with his lance, but Narcian slammed him from above with his wyvern and dragged the knight across the ground with his mount's claws. Narcian's wyvern held the knight up and viciously slammed him onto a mountain, breaking the knight's armor and bones into pieces. After four hits, Narcian let the knight down, then split the Emblian's head with his Emerald Axe. Meanwhile, Marth was duelling with Hector, Silver Sword against Armads. Every clash of their weapons made bright sparks. Klein assisted Marth from the trees, launching a volley of arrows into the chinks of Hector's armor. Hector occasionally fell back to Distant Counter Klein, but the trees helped the archer avoid the flying golden axe. Hector had his back to a mountain and threw his Armads towards Klein, who was on a tree branch. Klein leaped off the branch at the last second and Armads cleaved the tree in half. Marth took advantage of Hector throwing his weapon at Klein and unleashed a flurry of sword strikes, slowing breaking Hector's armor apart.

"Not so fast!" Eliwood suddenly came from the south and brought his fiery Durandal down onto Marth's shoulder. The green mage knight conjured a tornado with Rexcalibur+, blowing Marth back.

"Chilling Wind!" an icy blue aura surrounded Klein's arrow as he fired his bow towards the mage knight. The Chilling Wind-boosted shot blasted the mage back far and Klein finished him with a second shot, currency of his Brave Bow+. Meanwhile, Marth clashed sword-to-sword with Eliwood while Robin assisted Marth from behind him. Despite Eliwood's strong resistance to magic, he wasn't exactly the same on the physical side. Marth's sword attacks easily left gaping wounds in Eliwood's cavalier armor, but at the same time, Robin's Blarraven+ did next to nothing.

"Off with you, fiend!" Eliwood's Durandal instantly turned into a shard of ice and he lunged to stab Marth, but Robin jumped in his place and took the Glacies attack head on. The was only due to Robin's colour advantage and defense that he was able to survive. Eliwood stared at the tactician, dumbfounded that he was able to survive. That gave Marth the chance to jump and slash Eliwood across the shoulder, dislodging the icicle blade from Robin's chest. Eliwood staggered back and Marth followed up with a forceful stab, piercing Eliwood through the chest. The cavalier toppled to the ground, defeated. Marth glanced to his right and saw Hector pincushioned with arrows, lying on the mountainside with blood all over his body. As soon as Hector faded into light, we continued on.

We walked for hours, eventually finding ourselves in a steaming hot desert.

"The Nabata Desert" Robin said, gazing over the sparkling gold sand and many pieces of junk and treasure gleaming beneath the ground "It is said that deep within this desert, lies a paradise where humans and dragons live together"

"Humans and dragons... I still can't believe such a place was possible" Klein remarked "Roy took us here one time to obtain the legendary fire tome Forblaze from Arcadia. All of is still seems like a dream"

"I too cannot believe it" Marth agreed "All the Manaketes I've fought have been hostile towards humans. Aside from my friends Tiki, Xane, Bantu and Gotoh, I haven't met any dragons that could coexist with humans. Arcadia must be an amazing place"

"Well, nothing to do but move forward" I said "Let's just go and let trouble find us"

We continued our trek through the vast desert, occasionally having to crack open cacti to drink water. Narcian's wyvern was starting to get tired from flying, so it landed on the blazing sand and walked with us. I pushed my white cowl off to prevent my head from overheating, but I realized that it made it worse. As I put my hood back on, I stepped on something that was definitely not sand. I brushed away the sand with my boot and found a dark blue stone block.

"Hey everyone! I think I found something!" I called out. As my heroes came towards me though, Robin's boot sunk into the sand, all the way to his ankle and began to draw him in.

"Wuh- Marth! Help me!" Robin extended his arm to Marth and the Altean prince sheathed his sword to grab Robin's arm as hard as he could. Me and Klein tried to help out by pulling at Marth's waist, but the quicksand seemed to get stronger and Robin sunk beneath the sand. Eventually, both of us slipped into the sand too and fell down the quicksand pit. All of this happened and Narcian was checking his hair.

"Oh, what glorious hair I have, don't you all think?" Narcian turned behind him to find that everyone was gone "Huh? Where did everyone… go?"

Narcian took a step forward and his foot sunk into the quicksand "Gak! Hey, I need help here!"

Narcian's wyvern tried to pull Narcian out of the sand, but the quicksand pulled Narcian in faster, as if it was being strengthened by magic. Eventually, the dragon couldn't hold on and tumbled down the pit with his master.

We crash landed into the dark blue building I found before, with sand leaking from the quicksand trap we fell from. The dark blue floor was cold like ice, despite the burning sand all around us. Eventually, Narcian and his wyvern dropped from the ceiling too.

"Couldn't be bothered to help us rescue Robin?" Marth asked Narcian with disdain.

"I was checking my hair! If you wanted to get my attention, you should've screamed louder. A man's own appearance is so very entrancing" Narcian replied.

Marth sighed "Well, Robin's alive at least, so I don't have a reason to be angry at you. Just… focus more on your allies than yourself please"

"That's going to take a while" Klein remarked.

"What? Why?" Marth asked.

"I can tell that Narcian's very narcissistic" Klein explained "In fact, Narcian is a corruption of the word "narcissism" itself. Doesn't that speak volumes of his character?"

"That doesn't mean he's incapable of change Klein" Marth replied back.

"I wouldn't put too much faith in him" Klein said, staring at Narcian as he brushed off his clothes and tousled his hair to make sure there wasn't any sand. Meanwhile, me and Robin were looking around the ruins we were in, trying to find some sort of exit.

"It's eerie around here…" Robin murmured, inspecting the walls and ground around us. Enigmatic dried bloodstains painted the walls and a few rusted weapons laid on the floor. Robin picked up a chipped and rusty Silver Lance, turning it all over, checking for clues. I put my hand up to a wall nearby and the wall nearly gave way immediately. I retracted my hand and looked up. A large crack ran down the sandstone and beyond the cracked wall was only darkness.

"I found a cracked wall here. Can you break it down Robin?" I asked and the tactician shattered the wall with his magic. I walked through the debris, checking for clues, but there wasn't anything here. Suddenly, I heard a familiar, female voice from beside me.

"Gronnblade!"

A storm of green blades materialized into the air and rained down onto me. I dashed away to avoid it and managed not to get hit.

"There's a green mage beyond that wall" I told Robin, pointing to the left "The voice I heard was high and female, so it's probably an enemy Nino"

"Nino… she's a green mage, so I wouldn't fare good against her" Robin thought aloud "The wall she's behind isn't cracked nor damaged, so Marth can't get through either…"

"So Klein's our only option" I said and called into the vast chamber "Klein! Come to the northwest side of the labyrinth. We need you!"

In a few seconds, the familiar blond archer came towards us "What do you need Lucian?"

"A green mage is behind the wall on the left" I said, gesturing to the solid stone barrier "The wall isn't cracked and Robin suffers a triangle disadvantage against her, so you are our only choice"

"Got it. I already have a plan ready" Klein pushed past the debris of the shattered wall and positioned himself next to the left barrier. The high voice rang out again.

"Gronnblade!"

A rainstorm of magic blades came rocketing down onto Klein and the archer darted away to dodge, hitting the ground whenever the Gronnblade exploded. Eventually, the storm ended and Klein nocked his Brave Bow. He readied his shot and fired over the wall. A distressed and surprised scream echoed through the ominous chamber. Then, Klein quickly shot another arrow, the arrowhead glowing with the red energy of Death Blow. The scream quickly turned into a low bawl of crying.

"J-Jaffar… h-help me…" the enemy Nino moaned before fading away.

Behind me, Robin winced "Even though she's an enemy, her sorrow and words hit hard"

"The battles in war can never trinkle the sorrow of death" Klein agreed "Death, no matter what, is always sad"

"But death is needed for peace to reign" Marth said, clearly upset at himself for saying it "As much as I don't want it, the sacrifice of others is how war ends"

I let the silence hang in the air before speaking "There might be more enemies around here. Let's look around a bit more"

We moved to the southern corridor, where Narcian broke down a couple more walls. A Emblian Lance Knight laid in a bloody heap in one corner, which Narcian proudly claimed that he killed. The walls on the left were broken down too, but Narcian stayed away from them, telling us that an Emblian sword fighter was hiding behind them.

"He must of learned his lesson after Lon'qu" Robin remarked as he went down the left corridor to engage with the swordsman. The swordsman sprang at the tactician and slashed his Silver Sword. Robin dashed back with only a rip in his coat and fired Blarraven+ at the soldier. While the swordsman struggled to blow past the swarm of ravens, Robin recast the spell again, knocking the soldier to the ground. Meanwhile, Marth, Klein and Narcian went down the southern corridor. A blue mage summoned a bright yellow charge of lightning, which then transformed into a horizontal bolt of thunder. The Thoron smashed the wall apart and blasted Marth back. Klein's Brave Bow pulsed with Death Blow and he fired two arrows that pinned the mage knight to the wall. Before they could take a breather, an axe fighter holding a Brave Axe came from behind the fallen mage knight.

"Be silent!" Raven leaped into the air, his axe glittering with golden light and slammed it onto Marth. He then swung the Brave Axe upwards, slicing apart Marth's breastplate. Marth skittered back, but managed to recover quickly and slashed his blade across Raven's chest. Klein followed up with a twin shot of his bow, taking Raven down. We double checked the rest of the chamber to check for more enemies, but there were none. Marth turned to the left of where Raven was hiding and found a set of stairs upwards. He called us over and we hiked up the cold stone steps.

After a long and exhausting hike, we ended up back in the Nabata wasteland, with a few sand dunes and mountains around us.

"Back in the desert again" Klein muttered "Are you sure this was the right direction Lucian?"

"There could be enemies hiding behind these sand dunes, so there's that" Robin put in "Narcian, fly into the air and scout for enemies"

"Very well" Narcian took the sky and gazed over the gold sand, his eyes scanning over the piles of sand and stone. After a while, he returned to the ground.

"There's a pegasus knight, a Emblian green mage, a green-haired swordswomen and a shirtless man with a huge axe" Narcian reported.

"So Lyn is among our group of enemies" Robin looked tense. Robin has spared with Lyn a lot and grew to really know her as a person. Either he was afraid to fight her or he didn't want to.

"What are their positions?" Klein asked.

"The swordswomen and the pegasus knight are hiding behind the dune south of us" Narcian said "The axeman is behind the dune southwest and the green mage is right beyond the mountain beside us"

"So we can lure Lyn and the pegasus knight out with Robin and use Marth to take out the axe fighter and green mage" I summarized "Klein and Narcian can provide extra support if needed"

"Sounds good. Let's go" Robin went ahead on the path and Lyn sprang from the dune, her Sol Katti poised to strike Robin's chest. Luckily, Robin fought Lyn many times and knew nearly all her techniques, so sidestepped the stab and ducked to dodge the horizontal swing. Robin backed up and summoned a swarm of ravens to knock Lyn back. Robin prepared another attack, but suddenly Marth shouted behind him.

"Robin! Back away!"

Robin instinctively darted backwards as a tornado formed over his location and a pegasus knight's Heavy Spear pierced the ground beneath him. Klein launched two arrows over the sand dune and took down the green mage. Narcian, using his Emerald Axe and Lancebreaker skill, instantly shattered Florina's Heavy Spear and slammed her off her pegasus, easily killing her. Lyn, burning with the aura of Defiant Attack, dashed towards Narcian to avenge Florina, but Robin stood in her way.

"Sorry about this" Robin shot an Elthunder bolt from his palm, then let loose a giant flood of ravens, burying Lyn in a swarm of magic. The swordswomen fell to her knees and collapsed, signalling her defeat. The axeman, identified as Hawkeye slashed at Robin's arm with his Killer Axe, drawing a line of blood. Robin backed away, clutching his shoulder and coating his hands in red. Marth dashed up to Hawkeye and dueled sword to axe with him. Hawkeye brought his Killer Axe over his head and swung it down, but Marth rolled back and stabbed Hawkeye in the stomach. Hawkeye howled in pain and Marth quickly slashed at Hawkeye's bare chest to finish him off. We sat down to rest a little and heal our wounds. Robin shed his black coat to examine the cut on his shoulder. When he pulled off part of his shirt to reveal the wound, I nearly fainted from nausea. Robin's left arm was nearly cut off by Hawkeye's axe and only a thread of skin held it from falling to the ground. I brought out the first aid kit to help him patch the injury.

"Here, I'll help you out" Klein took the long strip of cloth from Robin's hand and wrapped it over Robin's arm, the tactician's face wincing in pain the whole time. He looked like he was holding back a scream of agony.

"There… finished" Klein finished wrapping Robin's arm in the cloth. It held his arm together and stopped his blood from flowing out. Once we were finished this mission, Robin could go to Maria or Serra to have them stitch his arm with their staves. Narcian reported from the air that he spotted grassland ahead, so we packed up our stuff and made our way west.

We arrived in a valley with mountains surrounding all around us. Robin commented that this was the mountain that the royal castle of Bern was built on.

"In an attempt to find out the route to the Shrine of Seals from the Queen of Bern, Hellene, Eliwood and his army came here" Robin said, still holding his left shoulder "But they were ambushed by the assassin group, the Black Fang. The leader of the troop, Vaida held a spear blessed with magical power"

"What did this "magical power" do?" I asked.

"The spear enhanced Vaida's strength, speed, defense and magical defense" Robin replied "There isn't anything else like it in the entire world"

"Interesting. But it seems like nobody's here" Klein said, looking around the vast mountains and clouds drifting in the sky.

"You'll be mistaken" Eliwood emerged from the mountain right of us, Durandal in hand.

"We're all around you" Hector appeared in front of us, his Armads pulsing with electricity.

"And you cannot escape" Lyn leaped over a hill on our left, Sol Katti ready.

A Lance Knight and Bow Fighter appeared behind us to block our escape route.

"It's time I introduced myself" Eliwood said "I am Eliwood of Pharae. We are obliged to battle you, given the contract that binds us"

"Just to let you know, we battled your son Roy too" I commented.

"You crossed paths with my son, Roy?" Eliwood smiled slightly, "Well, I'm sure that Roy will become a far better fighter than me in due time. But I promise to give you a battle that you'll never forget. Come now, let us begin"

Eliwood charged towards Klein, Durandal streaked with fire. Klein ducked the initial swing, then rolled away from the downward strike. However, when he got up from the roll, Hector's Armads collided with Klein's back, defeating him instantly. Marth took on both Eliwood and Hector at once while Robin took care of Lyn and the bowman. Narcian was dealing with the Lance Knight. Marth managed to defeat Hector, but Eliwood pierced Marth through the chest with a Glacies-charged attack. Narcian took down the Lance Knight, but the bowman aimed his Brave Bow at the flier and shot him down in two hits. Now, only Robin was left against Lyn, Eliwood and the archer. Robin blasted Lyn over a hill with Bonfire, then turned his attention to Eliwood and the archer. Eliwood slashed his Durandal over Robin's chest, making him stagger back. Robin countered with his magic, but Eliwood took it like it was nothing.

"Now, take this!" Eliwood's Durandal morphed into a shard of ice and he ran Robin through with his Glacies, ending the tactician's life. With everyone dead, Eliwood turned to me, who was huddling behind a mountain to not be seen. I was frantically looking for anything in my inventory to save me and I pulled out a brown charm with a blue jewel laid in the middle. The Light's Blessing.

" _Now would be a good time to use it"_ I thought and raised the charm into the air. The blue jewel flared in white light and my heroes returned to the battlefield, completely normal, as if they never died at all. Robin dashed behind Eliwood and shouted.

"Time to tip the scales!"

And fired a stream of fiery ravens in Eliwood's direction. The ravens smashed Eliwood off his horse and the cavalier faded away. Klein's arrow glowed with cold blue light and he called.

"Chilling Wind!"

Upon impact with the Bow Fighter, the arrow exploded into a strong gust of winter wind, blowing the archer straight into a mountain, pinning him against it. Finally, the battlefield was cleared and the liberation of the World of Blazing was done.

Eliwood reappeared in a flash of light, like all the other defeated heroes.

"You are truly powerful, much more so than we are. Fortunately, that frees us from the contract! Thank you" Eliwood smiled warmly "I hope that we will meet again under friendlier circumstances. And perhaps then Roy can fight alongside his old father. What a sight that would be!" and Eliwood rode away from the mountain. Next to us, a glowing portal opened, the portal showing the vast fields and Castle Askr in the distance.

"Looks like our way back to Askr" Klein said.

We went through the blue gateway and arrived back in the portal courtyard of Askr, where Alfonse, Sharena and Anna were waiting.

"Great job everyone! We liberated all the worlds from Embla's control!" Anna congratulated.

"Something still bothers me though" I said as I dismissed my heroes to go do their own thing.

"What? What is it Lucian?" Sharena asked.

"It just that we've been in all these various worlds, but we never found Zacharias" I explained.

"It's bothering me too" Anna said "I hate losing anyone, but Zacharias's disappearance hits Alfonse and Sharena the most because he was their childhood friend"

"Zacharias was more than just a skilled lancer" Alfonse said "He was kind and as loyal as a friend you would imagine. When he disappeared, we split up and searched every world for him"

"We looked everywhere, but never found him" Sharena continued sadly "We even had the wild notion that maybe Veronica closed the world that we last saw Zacharias"

"I wouldn't hurt to look again though" Alfonse put in "Lucian, you helped us gain so much. You wouldn't mind searching the worlds for Zacharias?"

"Of course I wouldn't mind" I smiled "But can we do it later? I need to rest and do Female Robin's Grand Hero Battle"

"Alright then. Best of luck to you Lucian" Alfonse said.

 **Next up: Female Robin's Grand Hero Battle! Thank you for all the favorites, follows and kind reviews!**


	14. Grand Hero Battle: Female Robin

A Summoner's Journey

Grand Hero Battle: Female Robin

 _Team for this chapter: Robin, Lyn, Nino and Klein_

After a three hour nap and lunch in the mess hall, I set out to the World of Awakening with Robin, Lyn, Nino and Klein to do the Grand Hero Battle against Robin's twin sister, Robin. I took the postcard from my desk and headed into the portal. When we landed in the World of Awakening, the postcard glowed with a bright blue light and the map of the battle blinked into existence like a mirage. The floor turned into cold blue stone as the earth transformed into an ocean. Solid white stone walls rose in front of us, forming a tight entrance to Female Robin's squad, which consisted of a blue mage, an axe fighter, a red mage, a lance fighter and Female Robin herself. My Robin examined the enemy's formation and positions. His sister clearly placed her troops well. Nearly every area around her team was a killzone with three enemies able to strike at once.

"Most of the space here is covered by Robin's troops" my Robin observed "It'll be tough getting to the heart of her team without being slaughtered"

"And if you lose one unit in Grand Hero Battles, the map will disappear" I warned "So Robin, you have to formulate a strategy that'll win us the battle and also keep all of us alive"

"Hmm… that'll be quite hard" Robin said, cupping his hand under his chin "When it comes to tactical prowess, me and my sister are equals. Whenever we play chess, it's always a challenge to outsmart her"

"The same concept applies to battle" Klein agreed "We're all pieces on a board right now, but what can we do to knock all of Robin's pieces out, but also not lose any of our own?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out" Robin went over to a stone wall and knocked on it with his fist "It isn't cracked and doesn't look easy to break. We can't rely on a secret shortcut to bypass her forces"

"I got an idea" Lyn said and everyone turned to her "Since Nino's a mage, she can likely handle the red and blue mages down on the top of Robin's team. We can send her up to that spot…"

Lyn pointed to the top left corner of the area.

"... and kill the axe fighter. Then, the mages will come for her and Klein can shoot them from behind the wall"

"That might just work" Robin pulled his Blarraven+ from his coat pocket "Alright then. Nino, you're up. Do your best!"

Nino ran towards the axe fighter, Gronnblade in hand.

"Gronnblade!" she shouted and dozens of miniature green blades flew at the axe fighter like bullet fire. The swords peppered the axe fighter and sent him skittering backward, giving Nino the chance to do a follow up attack. Nino thrust her hand forward and sent down a circle of blades from the sky, the blades exploding in a starburst of green once they collided with ground or flesh. One blade pierced right through the stunned axe fighter and he dissolved into golden light. As the light and dust settled, the two mages dashed towards Nino, drawing their tomes from their pockets.

"Thoron!" the blue mage launched a fast bolt of horizontal lightning towards Nino, who took the attack easily due to her triangle advantage. However, the red mage was much more of a threat.

"Bolganone!" the red mage pointed his finger towards Nino and the ground beneath her exploded into a gushing inferno of lava. Nino managed to survive, but she was barely living. One touch and we'll lose. Nino countered back at the red mage with two Gronnblade attacks, but the mage survived. Luckily, Klein was able to fire two arrows from over the wall and they struck down both of the enemy mages. Three down, two to go. Female Robin came towards Nino's left and prepared to fire Gronnwolf, but Lyn stepped in her way and disrupted the spell. The swordswomen slashed Robin twice with her Sol Katti, but she lived and retreated while the lance fighter took the tactician's place. The lance fighter thrust his Silver Lance towards Lyn's stomach, but she sidestepped and swung her blade, aiming for the soldier's throat. The lance fighter was able to raise his shield in time to block while Female Robin's Gronnwolf crashed into Lyn, pushing her back.

"Gronnblade!" Nino's voice cried and a circle of magic swords surrounded the lance fighter and exploded, defeating him too.

"As I predicted!" Female Robin glowed with vibrant orange flames and shot an Ignis-powered Gronnwolf at Nino, but Lyn jumped in the way to intercept it. The magic ripped away at Lyn's skin and clothes, but she didn't falter and stabbed Robin through the chest with her Sol Katti. An arrow sailed over the wall and pierced Female Robin's face, ending the tactician for good. As Robin collapsed to the ground, the battleground faded away. The rushing ocean waters turned back into fertile grass. The cool blue stone floor shifted back into rough rock. Female Robin appeared out of thin air, Gronnwolf tome in hand.

"I didn't think anyone could break through my strategy" Robinne said, visibly impressed "The only one who could was my brother"

"Well Robin, your brother was commanding this fight the whole time" I said as my Robin revealed himself from behind Lyn.

"Good to see you again sister" my Robin smiled as his sister ran into his arms.

"Robin! I never thought… How did you get here?" Robinne asked as she wrapped her arms around Robin's shoulders.

"It's a long story sis" Robin said reassuringly as he played with Robinne's white pigtails "Visit my room in the barracks tonight. I'll explain everything"

"Thank you brother. I'm just happy to be with you again… after so long" Robinne's grip grew tighter around Robin. I decided to give the twins some space and told Lyn, Klein and Nino to go back to Askr. When I arrived back in Askr Castle, I found a blue and purple postcard for the Normal and Lunatic Grand Hero Battles with Female Robin. I completed the Normal difficulty for a 3* Robinne, but the Lunatic version was near impossible. Lyn's strategy didn't work at all, as the red mage one-shot Nino with Bolganone+. I tried to bring in Niles to tank the two mages, but he couldn't kill the axe fighter fast enough and the soldier's Silver Axe cut down Niles in one hit. What I needed was someone who could defend against both mages and physical attack. It's what I'd call a "mixed tank". Sadly, I didn't have anybody like that in my arsenal, so I had to settle with my 4* Robinne for now. As there was nothing else to do, I left to my chambers and began to draw in a notebook Sharena gave me.

Later into the night, Robinne was assigned a room in the barracks, but she went to her brother's room instead to talk to him. She wasn't able to be with him since they were children and when he and the Shepherds rescued her from Validar's clutches. Now, she had all the time in the world to be with her long lost sibling. Robinne walked down the torch-lit barracks hallway, her boots clicking again the hardwood floor.

"Robin? May I come in?" Robinne knocked on Robin's door quietly, as to not rouse anybody else from their slumber. The lock clicked and the door opened, revealing Robin.

"Hello Robinne. How are you doing?" Robin asked as he returned to his desk to continue writing.

"I'm fine at the moment. What are you doing?" Robinne looked over her brother's shoulder to see that he was drawing a tic-tac-toe board.

"Anna told me she'll buy us a personal chessboard tomorrow morning" Robin said as he dipped his quill pen in more ink "For now though, let's stick with tic-tac-toe"

"But Robin, tic-tac-toe always ends in a tie. Unless the opponent is _really_ stupid"

"That's why I'm modifying it a little"

Robin drew a third horizontal line and a third vertical line, creating a 4x4 tic-tac-toe board.

"Ah! I see" Robinne scanned the drawing with her brown eyes "By expanding the grid, you create more paths to cover and make it harder to win"

"Smart as ever sister" Robin stood up and brought over a nightstand to play the game on. The two siblings sat on opposite sides of the table.

"I'll be X. You'll be O" Robin informed as he dug a bronze coin from his pocket.

"I call tails!" Robinne called as Robin flipped the coin in the air, landing it on his gloved palm.

"It's heads. Looks like I make the first move"

"Wait just a moment!" Robinne got up from her seat and examined the coin in Robin's hand. Her mouth quickly turned into a smirk.

"Cheating brother? I didn't expect that of you" Robinne snickered as she sat back down and drew an O in the center of the grid.

"Well, I knew I could never get that past you" Robin took the pen from Robinne's hand and drew an X right next to her O.

The game went on for 8 minutes, mostly due to the twins thinking for a while on what their next move would be. Robinne cupped her hand under her chin just like her brother and then drew an O on the lower left corner, leaving one square open for her to complete the row.

"Checkmate" Robin drew an X on the top row, making him the winner.

"Damn it" Robinne slapped her forehead in personal disgust "Well, good game"

"You too Robinne" Robin got up from his seat and grabbed an Elthunder tome from the corner of his desk "I'm going to go out to the training yard. Want to come?"

"Sure thing!" Robinne followed her brother out the door, drawing the Gronnwolf from her pocket. When they arrived, they found Eliwood and Lyn already sparring, Silver Sword against Sol Katti. Their fighting was intense, almost like they were dancing with their blades. Eliwood's sword clashed with Lyn's, generating an explosion of sparks.

"As if I'd lose!" a burst of white wind rushed out from Lyn's boots and she dashed behind Eliwood at blinding speed, knocking him off his horse with the flat of her blade. Eliwood landed on the ground and rose his sword to defend himself, but Lyn's Sol Katti already found itself under the Lycian lord's neck.

"Ha ha, skilled as ever Lyndis" Eliwood gently pushed the Sol Katti away from his neck and stood up, dusting his clothes off "You're getting more and more better with the sword everyday"

"Thank you Eliwood. I can say the same for you" Lyn complimented, sheathing her legendary sword "But training with both lances and swords means you'll never be as good as me with swords or as good as Oswin with lances"

"Being prepared for everything is always the best coarse" Eliwood pointed out "I'd rather be versatile to not have exploitable weaknesses"

"You're right on that" Lyn said "For example, I'm weak to lances and Hector is slow because to his armor"

"Remember when you two argued on the Dread Isle because Hector's armor made too much noise?" Eliwood reminisced

"And then we started yelling at each other" Lyn closed her eyes and smiled wearily "Funny that I accused Hector of being too loud and I ended up being the loud one!"

"Well, passion springs from the feelings of love and care toward someone else. Now look where you two are now. The Marquess and Marchioness of Ostia!"

"Our live certainly had it's ups and downs" Lyn agreed "Let's just hope Lucian summons Hector soon. I miss him"

"Me too" Eliwood said "Aside from Odin, the army here seems to lack the brash and fiery attitude Hector had"

"Yeah" Lyn remained silent for a couple seconds "I'm going to bed now. See you tomorrow"

"Goodnight Lyn"

"Goodnight Eliwood"

And the two lords went back into the barracks. Next to the Robin twins, an arrow landed on the bullseye of a wooden target.

"Ah yes!" Gordin grinned like an over excited kid "Lon'qu, did you see that shot?"

Lon'qu barely looked up from the book he was reading "You're still too slow"

"What did you say? I hit it on the mark!" Gordin's excited face turned to anger at Lon'qu unimpressed attitude.

"One time out of twenty. You need more practice" Lon'qu replied coldly.

Gordin grumbled "You big loft. I hit that one on the nail!"

Lon'qu and Gordin continued to binker as Robin and Robinne headed to the right side of the yard to begin their duel.

"Ready?" Robin opened his Elthunder and generated a sparkling ball of electricity.

"Make the best twin win" Robinne summoned a swirling sphere of wind in her palm and prepared to throw. Robin attacked first by throwing his ball of electricity towards his sister. Robinne sidestepped to dodge and countered with her sphere of wind. Both magicks collided with each other, resulting in an explosion that drew people to the training yard to see what was going on.

"Elthunder!" Robin called down a bolt of lightning from the sky and struck Robinne hard, but she retaliated by summoning a large green wolf head. The Gronnwolf lunged at Robin and knocked him to the wall, but the tactician wasn't finished yet. The aura of Defiant Speed blazed from beneath his feet and he rushed in front of Robinne, delivering a swift elbow to the stomach. Robinne was knocked back, spluttering and blood covering her lips. But before Robin could finish the match, Robinne glowed with blazing orange flames, like a bonfire.

"Time to tip the scales!" Robinne rose her Gronnwolf, which was burning with the power of Ignis. She thrust her hand forward and a giant magic wolf head came out, surrounded by orange flames. It lunged at Robin fast, but Robin couldn't let his sister beat him. Not with so many others watching. He quickly drew his Blarraven+ from his pocket and shouted:

"Here's how it's done!"

And summoned a flood of flaming spirit birds from his tome, bombarding the Gronnwolf coming towards him. But it was not enough. Gronnwolf, which was enhanced by Robinne's Ignis, plowed through Robin's ravens and smashed into him hard. Robin collapsed onto the ground, the Blarraven+ laying in the dirt next to him.

"Robin! Robin, are you okay?" Chrom leaned over the tactician worryingly.

"... Ha ha"

Everyone took a step back as Robin began laughing. He got up and dusted the dirt off his black coat.

"You surprised me sister. I didn't think you could give me a fight so intense" Robin gave Robinne a warm smile. Robinne put the Gronnwolf back into her pocket and walked over to her brother.

"Well, that was fun" Robinne grinned as she headed back into the barracks "Goodnight everyone"

"After all that and just a few words?" Abel wondered aloud.

"I guess it runs in the family" Gaius put his arm around Robin's shoulder "Let's get you something to eat Bubbles. You look tired"

"Yeah, eating would be nice" Robin said "Anybody want to join us?"

Chrom and Seliph decided to go with Robin and Gaius while everyone else dispersed. Nighttime in the barracks wasn't as quiet as it seems.

 **Sorry that this chapter wasn't very eventful or exciting. I mostly wanted to use this chapter to show what happens in the barracks. Next up is the Blazing Shadows Paralogue, which should come out by next week. Once again, thank you for all the favourites, follows and helpful reviews! Until next time!**


	15. Paralogue 3: Blazing Shadows

A Summoner's Journey

Paralogue 3: Blazing Shadows

 _Team for this chapter: Eliwood, Nino, Lyn and Klein_

Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword was the game I last played before I came to Askr. It was also my favourite Fire Emblem game in the series, along my all-time favourite of the Gameboy Advance library. So you could imagine my joy once the Sibling Bonds postcard expired and a new one floated in. Depicted on the new banner were six characters I knew very well. In the center was the beautiful dancer Ninian and surrounding her were Karel, Lucius, Priscilla, Jaffar and Rebecca. The top of the banner, written in black ink, was the words "Blazing Shadows". Nino got very excited when she saw the banner in the morning.

"Ooh, Jaffar's on this banner. Are you going to try to summon him Lucian?" Nino asked excitingly.

"Of course Nino. I'll try my best" I ruffled Nino's green hair and she grinned, blushing.

But before I attempted to summon, I knew there were orbs to be gotten. Anna reported to me soon after the banner arrived that Embla has attacked the World of Blazing again, enslaving new heroes we haven't seen before. I decided to go in with a Elibe-themed team with Eliwood, Nino, Lyn and Klein.

"Good luck" Robin said as we departed, his eyes telling me that I won't have his strategic guidance while we were in there.

Going through the World of Blazing portal with the Blazing Shadows postcard brought us to a castle with a cracked wall in front of us.

"Oh, I remember this" Lyn snapped her fingers "This is Castle Caelin. I remember going in here with Eliwood and Hector to liberate it from Laus's troops"

As we were formulating a strategy, a monk with long blond hair walked over Raven, who was unclasping his Brave Axe from his waist.

"Now it's time" Raven said.

"No, Lord Raymond! You mustn't follow the likes of them. Please, I beg of you, don't do this!" the monk, Lucius begged.

"Shut up Lucius" Raven growled "If I fight for them, they'll give me the power I need to get my revenge on Ostia. That's the contract and that's what I want. Stay here and be quiet. I'll return for you"

Raven pushed Lucius into a broken Caelin cell and closed the door. Then he turned to his sister, the red-haired elegantly dressed Priscilla.

"Ready to fight Priscilla?" Raven asked.

"Of course, Lord brother" Priscilla nodded, her Panic staff glowing with low red light. Raven turned to the Emblian Lance Fighter next to his position and nodded. The low rumbling of the cracked walls grew louder. A long crack spread through the wall like a fissure and then, it exploded, sending bits of rock towards the enemy.

"Go, go!" Raven called to the Lance Fighter and the Emblian charged through the debris with her Killer Lance. She thrust her lance towards Eliwood and the cavalier countered with a swift double strike to the head, slicing off parts of her armor and long white hair. Nino finished the Lance Fighter off with a single Gronnblade. Meanwhile, Lyn dueled with Raven, sword to axe. Despite the triangle disadvantage, Raven held his own for a long time against Lyn. Clearly, his skill as a fighter hasn't diminished despite using an unfamiliar weapon. Raven landed a Brave Axe strike on Lyn's stomach and she countered, striking Raven's bicep and nearly making it explode in blood. Raven growled in anger as a white aura began pulsing from beneath his feet. Defiant Speed.

"Sol!" Raven's axe glowed with golden light and he dashed at incredible speed, smashing the Brave Axe onto Lyn's chest. The light drawn over to Lyn's wound and healed Raven's own injuries. Lyn fell back, but rapidly dashed behind Raven with Galeforce and stabbed him in the back with her Sol Katti. As Raven staggered forward, Eliwood finished him off with a quick slash across the shoulder. Priscilla tried to attack Lyn with her staff, but two arrows sailed over the wall and took the troubadour down. All was left was Lucius. Suddenly, Lucius's cell door crumbled to pieces and the monk stepped out, holding a Pain staff. Hold on. A staff?

"Wait a minute, I thought you were a monk" I pointed out "Shouldn't you be using light magic?"

"I remember you not wielding staves until you used the Guiding Ring to become a Bishop" Lyn said "What happened to your Lightning tome?"

"I… I'm sorry that I can't explain this to you, my old comrades" Lucius said sorrowfully "The contract commands me to attempt to kill you, so please… either surrender or cut me down"

"Lucius…" Eliwood shook his head "You're clearly against this contract"

"Yes… I really wish I don't need to fight you. But the only way I can be freed from the contract is to be slain in battle" Lucius clutched his Pain staff to his chest, his hands shaking.

"Then I'll make your defeat as painless as possible" Lyn lifted her Sol Katti "Nino, cover your eyes"

The green mage covered her eyes.

"I'm sorry Lucius" Lyn said, then stabbed the monk through the chest with her sword. Blood oozed from both sides of the wound as Lyn pulled her blade out. Lucius dropped his ivory Pain staff and clutched his chest with his hands. Without a word nor smile, he collapsed to the ground and faded away.

"Even though I know he's going to be alive, it stills hurts to cut him down" Lyn said, her eyes hard, as if trying to stop her tears from flowing.

"Let's move on. There must be more enemies around here" I said at last and we left Castle Caelin, travelling far into a mountain range until we ended up in a snow-covered fortress.

"Ah, the Black Fang fortress" Eliwood stared at the cobalt building with a neutral expression "I remember coming here with Lyn and Hector to search for Bern's royal crest, the Fire Emblem"

"And this was here where we met one of your father's knights, Harken" Lyn continued "Along with that swordsman, Karel"

"But the fort looks to be abandoned" Klein said "Did this "Black Fang" desert it?"

"Jaffar told me that after Eliwood's army found this fortress, the Black Fang abandoned it and relocated to the Water Temple" Nino said "I remember that I had to gather up all my belongings and supplies in my room"

"It's not as abandoned as you think" Lyn turned to a small patch of trees "I see the gleam of a Silver Bow in that thicket"

"Oh, hello there!" the Pharaen archer Rebecca came out from the thicket, holding the Silver Bow Lyn noticed in her hand.

"Rebecca? What are you doing here? I thought you returned to your village with Lowen after our fight with Nergal" Eliwood asked.

"Yeah umm, there's this contract you see? And the darn thing says we have to fight you now" Rebecca said sadly "But I think if you prove you're powerful, that will make everything right as rain again. So try your best to beat us, all right?"

"Silly girl!" a rough sounding voice came from our left and Karel entered the scene, with his signature Wo Dao katana.

"Never speak for me" Karel said sharply "Though I also demand they fight no less than their best. My sword is my life. I long to cut down the strongest. This contract changes nothing for me. We will fight, and I will win. It's as simple as that"

Klein stared at Karel with a look of surprise "Karel? You're the Sword Saint?"

Karel turned to the archer general "Sword Saint? Boy, have you seen anything that I've done?!"

"Sword Demon would be a better title for you" Lyn said.

Karel turned to Lyn "You there… Lyn was it?"

"What is it Karel?" Lyn gripped her Sol Katti tightly.

"I sense that you are stronger than back when we first met" Karel said "Yes… it is time for our duel. Do you accept my challenge?"

Lyn looked at me for approval.

"Summoned heroes don't die if they are defeated, so you aren't at any risk of death" I said "Go ahead if you want to"

Lyn turned back to Karel and stiffened "I accept your challenge Karel"

"Very well. Let us duel in the side entrance of this old fort. I'll make sure nobody from my side interferes. You do the same" Karel instructed.

"Alright" Lyn turned to us "You heard him. Nobody interferes with our duel until one of us dies!"

"So while those two are fighting, we have to handle Rebecca and anybody else in the fort" I said to Eliwood, Nino and Klein "Hmm… Klein, try to draw Rebecca from the trees over there. Then, Eliwood can sneak in and attack from behind"

"Got it" Klein walked over to the thicket Rebecca was hiding in and began to nock an arrow. As Rebecca sprang from the trees, arrow in her Silver Bow going loose, Klein shot his Brave Bow. The two arrows sailed right past each other and hit their targets, Rebecca's shot landing in Klein's waist and Klein's arrow striking Rebecca in the shoulder. Despite Klein getting hit though, the plan executed perfectly. Using Klein as a decoy, Eliwood galloped behind Rebecca and skewered her with his sword. Meanwhile, Lyn and Karel began their sword duel.

"Hm, I haven't seen a sword like that before. May I ask for the name?" Karel arched his Wo Dao over his head in a fighting position.

"It's the Sol Katti. It's a spiriti-inhabited blade that's the sister sword to Sacae's Mani Katti" Lyn said, her grip on the golden blade growing tighter.

"The Mani Katti… I remember" Karel continued "I visited its shrine in Sacae. The spirits… they rejected me"

"Well, I'm not very surprised" Lyn hid a small smile under her hand "But anyway, shall we get started?"

Karel pointed his Wo Dao at Lyn "At your ready"

Lyn readied herself and charged at Karel, blade first. Their gold and red blades clashed together, both forces pushing at each other, attempting to get the upper hand. They eventually broke away, slashing and cutting at each other in different directions. Both of them couldn't land a single hit on each other. After a while, the two broke away from each other, trying to catch their breath.

"As I thought. You're stronger than before" Karel brushed his sleeve with his hand "But is it enough to best me?"

Karel dashed with lightning quick speed and leaped into the air.

"Moonbow!" he shouted and the image of a crescent moon burned into the air above Karel as he slammed the Wo Dao down Lyn's chest. Lyn was able to raise her sword in time to offset the damage, but Moonbow cut through her defense easily. As Lyn stumbled away with her chest bleeding, I realized that Karel's Moonbow cut Lyn's defense more than it should. I examined Karel closely and brought up his skill page.

"Adds +10 damage to special triggers" the Wo Dao+'s description read. I looked up and saw Lyn rapidly evading attacks from Karel with Galeforce. The white and red auras of Defiant Attack and Galeforce mixed together, creating a swirling pool of light like vanilla strawberry ice cream.

"Lyn! Don't let him activate another Moonbow! His Wo Dao increases the power of his specials!" I called.

"My blade unrestrained!" Karel attempted another Moonbow attack, but Lyn dodged it and darted behind him, impaling the Sol Katti through Karel's back.

"As if I'd lose!" Lyn whipped her sword out from Karel's back, cutting him in half. With the duel finished, an Emblian red mage along with the dancer Ninian came out from the fortress.

"Bolganone!" the red mage commanded and a wave of intense lava erupted out of the ground and over Lyn. The swordswomen dashed backwards to dodge it while Eliwood cut down the mage in two swings of his sword. Ninian was prepared to transform into her ice dragon form when she saw Eliwood.

"Lord Eliwood…" Ninian's dragonstone was glowing blue in her hand, midway between transforming the young dancer "What are you… doing here?"

"Ninian… Ninian, I didn't think I'd see you again" Eliwood's sword arm dipped as he got off his horse and walked towards Ninian to embrace her, but suddenly, Nino's voice cried from behind him.

"Gronnblade!"

A circle of swords surrounded Ninian and exploded, taking out the dancer in a single hit. Eliwood was lucky enough to backup in time to not get hit. As Ninian faded away, all of us except for Klein stared at Nino. The green mage awkwardly put her tome back in her pouch on her waist and clasped her hands together.

"Umm… I thought that was an enemy soldier…" Nino stammered.

Eliwood sighed and got back onto his horse, sheathing his Silver Sword "Well, she was technically on the enemy's side. I just wanted to see her again… even if she was our foe"

I silently made a mental note to summon only on the colourless and blue orbs when we got back. I needed Ninian and Jaffar to be with Eliwood and Nino. But before we left, Ninian reappeared in a flash of light.

"You have revealed the true measure of your power, and you are strong indeed" Ninian complimented "I give you my thanks. Sadly, I am unable to join you for the time being"

"What? Why Ninian?" Eliwood asked, flabbergasted.

"In only a few minutes, I'll be returned to the original timeline. Right before we were married Lord Eliwood" Ninian explained "If we ever meet again... and will we, I wonder? Then I will dance for you. A dance of gratitude"

Eliwood smiled, a tear falling down his face "We will meet again Ninian. No matter what"

"I hope so too Lord Eliwood" Ninian smiled and then disappeared into the air.

The rest of the fortress was devoid of enemy soldiers, so we continued on, hiking down the snowy mountain towards a royal mansion in a valley.

"The Bern Manse" Nino said, gazing at the high stone towers and elegantly-designed banners decorating the front entrance "I remember coming here with Jaffar to assassinate the prince of Bern, Zephiel"

"And you instead ended up fighting the Black Fang for Zephiel's life along with Jaffar" Lyn continued "Good thing we were able to come to your aid"

"I'm still thankful for that even now" Nino grinned "Jaffar was fighting so many enemies alone that I wasn't sure even he could last that long"

"Let's poke around the manse for a little. Just to check if there are any enemies" Klein suggested and we moved into the dark mansion.

"Nino… stay here" Jaffar instructed to the enemy Nino "I will eliminate the enemy"

"But, Jaffar! Are these people really and truly bad? Maybe if we try to talk to them first... " Nino pleaded, but Jaffar shut her down quick.

"If talk fails, we are as good as dead. It's too dangerous" Jaffar drew his twin knives, the Deathly Dagger from their sheaths "I must keep you safe. I will exterminate all of them"

Jaffar ran off into the darkness with Nino calling after him. Hiding behind a cracked wall, Jaffar heard footsteps and words. His enemies have arrived.

"The end is near" Jaffar tossed one of his Deathly Daggers over the cracked wall with expert precision, striking Klein in the bicep.

"Gah!" Klein managed to pull the dagger out from his arm, but faint purple poison oozed from his wound. The dagger was stained with poisonous toxins.

"It's not just the dagger that's poisonous" I warned "Whoever the attacker is, they have the skill Poison Strike too"

"Ghurk…" Klein fell to one knee, struggling to keep his Brave Bow in his hand. Another dagger sailed over the wall, but Lyn managed to strike it down with her sword.

"Hmm…" Klein turned to the direction of where the dagger came from and shot two arrows from his bow. Footsteps shuffled through the empty mansion and the sound of two arrows hitting the ground echoed.

"There's a person hiding behind this cracked wall here" I pointed out "They're probably the ones throwing those daggers"

"I seem to have the best defense out of all of us, so I'll break the wall" Lyn went over to the cracked wall and slammed her Sol Katti into it. The wall's cracks spread, but it didn't crumble just yet. Nino helped Lyn out with a quick Gronnblade and the castle wall peeled away, revealing Jaffar and a Blue Mage Cavalier.

"Time to go" Jaffar rapidly threw three Deathly Daggers with Glimmer, each successful hit causing a Poison Strike to knock a victim down for a couple seconds. One of these daggers impaled Klein, causing the weakened archer to collapse on the ground and fade away. Lyn managed to deflect one of the daggers, but one of them ended up in her ankle. She didn't let that stop her from slashing her sword over Jaffar's shoulder. The assassin fell back as the blue mage cavalier approached, casting Blarraven from his tome. The spirit birds slammed into Lyn and smashed her to the ground, defeating the swordswomen. Only Nino and Eliwood were left. Eliwood galloped as fast as he could towards the retreating Jaffar and stabbed him in the back before he could escape, ending the assassin's life. Nino easily dealt with the mage cavalier using two Gronnblade attacks. Realizing that Jaffar was slain, Nino rushed out from behind a wall, opening her own Gronnblade.

"I won't lose! Not me!" the enemy Nino blazed with a purple Draconic Aura and sent a spiraling circle of swords towards Eliwood.

"Sacred Cowl!" Eliwood rose his sword into the air and a thin orange shield generated over his body, shielding him partially from Nino's Gronnblade.

"You're finished!" Eliwood brought his Silver Sword down onto the enemy Nino, but an Emblian Sword Cavalier surprised him by stabbed an Armorslayer through Eliwood's chest.

"Don't worry Lord Eliwood!" my Nino ran towards the Sword Cavalier and sent down two volleys of Gronnblade, stunning him momentaringly. Eliwood recovered from the attack and finished the cavalier off with a swift stab to the face. The enemy Nino summoned a giant magical blade from the sky and launched it at my Nino, but Eliwood rapidly swung his blade to his left and slashed Nino's neck off. As Nino's body faded away, the manse became silent. No footsteps and no sounds aside from Nino and Eliwood's shallow breathing. We've won.

Like all defeated heroes, Jaffar and Nino reappeared in flashes of magic once the fight was over.

"You...don't intend to kill us?" Jaffar asked, surprised "I live only to protect Nino and now you are sparing us. Nino...and me. Hmm"

"Jaffar! You're alright!" Nino smiled with relief "Please, let's go home. Just the two of us, friends, forever and ever!"

"Just the two of us. Forever...and ever" Jaffar repeated "You people...I am in your debt. I repay my debts. Every moment Nino is with me is a moment more than before. It gives me life. You have our thanks"

"Well, looks like that completes the mission. Great job you two!" I grinned.

"Now would be a good time to head back to Askr" Eliwood said.

"Wait wait!" the former-enemy Nino came running back to us, pulling a letter out from her pouch "Please, sir, you with the black hair! Is your name Lucian?"

"Yes but, how do you know my name?" I asked.

"A man visited here one time. He said his name was Zacharias" Nino explained "He knew that you were Askr's new summoner and that you would come through here. He told me to give this letter to Prince Alfonse"

"A letter from Zacharias? Thank you very much" I said and Nino grinned, clearly happy with completing her job and she ran off with Jaffar. When we returned back to Askr, I gave Zacharia's letter to Alfonse.

"A letter from Zacharias?! Quickly Alfonse, open it up!" Sharena cried impatiently.

"Patience, Sharena. Here now, here it is…" Alfonse cleared his throat, then read the letter out loud:

"Alfonse, you must be worried about where I've gone. Sorry, but all this was necessary. I stumbled upon a secret about the Emblian Empire's royal family. I needed to see whether it was true or not, so I'm still investigating. But know this for now: Veronica is not our enemy. The true villain is a man named Bruno"

Sharena looked dumbfounded "Who's Bruno? I've never heard of him"

"The royal family of Embla is a web of relations, too complex for most to even begin to follow" Anna explained "But I think I've hear about a Bruno in their family… a prince who few have ever seen before"

"So Zacharias is trying to find out more about this Prince Bruno?" Alfonse asked.

"It seems so. He does have the skills to slip into Embla and investigate such things in hiding. Out of all of us, he'd be the best at infiltrating the empire, but what a lapse of judgement not to tell us" Anna sounded a bit angry for Zacharias disobeying her "I'm his commander, after all, so he must have known I would consider it a serious offense. But knowing Zacharias, I have to believe he'd have good reason to do all of this"

"Who knows what's happened to him?" Alfonse wondered "Maybe he's been taken prisoner by now. Though how did he get us this letter?"

"It's just good to know he's alive" Sharena said optimistically.

"I only hope that he'll make his way back to us somehow. He has much to explain" Anna said sternly "This letter is something to go by for now. A little hope when before we had almost none"

 **And that was Paralogue 3: Blazing Shadows! Next up is Paralogue 4: Spring Festival. Thank you for all the favorites, follows and reviews. Until next time!**


	16. Paralogue 4: Spring Festival

A Summoner's Journey

Paralogue 4: Spring Festival

 _Team for this chapter: Robin, Chrom, Jeorge and Nino_

As the month passed to April, I watched with disappointment as the Blazing Shadows banner fade away in my hands. I summoned using the orbs I gotten from liberating the World of Blazing and I summoned every colourless I could. But in the end, I didn't get Jaffar or Ninian and instead got Priscilla and Lucius. It wasn't like I wasn't happy with having them, but I could do without two staff users. At least Priscilla had Rehabilitate, the best healing staff out of all. Lucius had Martyr, a staff that grows more powerful when he's injured. While taking him through the Training Tower, one strike from a Sword Fighter brought him down to his knees, so it's safe to say that utilizing Martyr+ with Lucius isn't going to be reliable. Nino and Eliwood were sad that I couldn't summon either of their loved ones, but they accepted Lucius and Priscilla nevertheless. Now, as the month passes, the Blazing Shadows banner disappears from my hands and I may never be able to summon Jaffar or Ninian again.

I checked the notice board early in the morning and gathered the daily orbs and letters from Feh. I opened up one envelope and found a new banner, titled the "Spring Festival". On the right featured Camilla alongside a large green and purple coloured egg. On the top left was Xander, dressed in a mini pink hat along with a pink outfit. A handle stuck out of the giant carrot spear he was holding. On the bottom were Lucina and Chrom. Lucina was holding a white and pink egg over her head while wearing a bunny hood while Chrom held an axe covered in carrot-like spikes. I remember reading about them in the book I found in the Askr library. I went over and pinned the Spring Festival banner up onto the notice board for all my heroes to see. The second envelope contained the postcard for not one, but two Grand Hero Battles. The first one was Ursula: Blue Crow's Grand Hero Battle in the World of Blazing. The second was Michalis: Ambitious King's Grand Hero Battle in the World of Mystery. The expiry dates were a bit tighter than with Narcian and Robinne, so I had to complete them fast. Other than that, there were the daily orbs and feathers as usual.

"Oh ho, Chrom. Where did you get that outfit?" I turned and noticed Robin and Chrom talking nearby the notice board.

"Well… you know how it is Robin" Chrom looked a bit embarrassed "When the Spring Festival rolls around, all the shops in Ylisse sell Spring-themed clothing. Lissa likes seeing me in funny attire"

"Looks like Lucina got into the fun too" Robin said, pointing to Chrom's daughter on the banner "She looks pretty cute in that bunny hood"

"It's rare to see her smile that brightly" Chrom agreed "I'm glad these sort of festivals exist so we're able to break away from our usual duty and let loose"

"Oh! Good morning Lord Chrom and Robin" Robinne strolled into the lobby, joining Chrom and Robin at the notice board.

"Ah!" Robinne noticed Chrom in his spring outfit on the banner and blushed "You… you look good in that Lord Chrom"

"Really? I thought it just looks ridiculous" Chrom laughed "I wonder though, if this Chrom is summonable, how does he fare in combat?"

"He uses that giant Carrot Axe of his" Robin pointed to the axe in Spring Chrom's hand "I was reading a book about alternate heroes in the library and it states that the axe Spring Chrom carries can heal wounds!"

"Heal wounds? How can it do that?" Robinne questioned.

"Maybe I eat the carrots off of the axe to heal myself" Chrom joked "I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if Prince Xander does the same"

Robin glanced to where Spring Xander was on the banner "Oh yeah, you're right. That carrot he's carrying… it's like 5x the size of a regular carrot"

"A good weapon for someone who wants to eat while fighting" Robinne agreed "Although you'll have to wash the blood and gore off of the lance if you're actually going to eat it"

"I think simple rations could do the job" Chrom said "Still, it's an interesting weapon"

"What about the eggs Camilla and Lucina are holding? What do you think they do?" Robin asked.

"They look like throwing weapons to me" Robinne cupped her hand under her chin "Like a fig"

"They're going to throw eggs at us to attack? That's uhh… a little disgusting" Chrom frowned.

"And impractical too. Unless these eggs are the size of boulders, they can't possibly kill anybody" Robin said.

"Can you suggest any other way those two can use their eggs?" Robinne argued.

"Magic possibly?"

"Why would anybody take the time to infuse magic into an egg when you could just use a regular tome?"

"Hey! I'm using a carrot-studded axe as a weapon. Clearly, this isn't serious" Chrom argued back.

"Guys, guys, calm down" Robin said, gesturing his hands in a "calm down" motion "They could very well be infused with magic. After all, Lucina and Camilla aren't holding them by any sort of handle"

Robinne sighed "We won't know until we see. If the banner arrived today, then Embla has attacked the World of Awakening"

"We don't know that yet. Lucian didn't tell us"

"And Anna hasn't told me yet if Embla attacked" I said from across the room while organizing the order's mail.

"Speaking of which, it might be a while before Lucian is able to summon" Robin informed Chrom and Robinne "I watched his summoning of the Blazing Shadows banner a few days ago. He used up all his orbs"

"Then I suppose we won't be getting these Spring heroes?" Robinne assumed.

"Check the expiry date of the banner" Robin said.

Robinne took the pin off the banner and examined it for an expiry date. On the back of the banner, written in black ink were the words "Ends in 14 days"

"So we have two weeks time to get these Spring heroes" Robinne said "I think Lucian should be able to gather enough orbs to get at least one of these special heroes"

Robin opened his mouth to reply, but three letters fluttered into the lobby through the entrance. They landed on the floor and I went over to pick them up. Opening them up, I found out they were two more summoning banners. The first one, titled "Battling Ursula" featured Nino, Effie, Setsuna and Felicia. The second one, called "Battling Michalis" featured Eliwood, Gordin, Selena and Minerva. The third letter was a notice, telling me that there was going to be a special event called the "Voting Gauntlet" coming in a week.

"The theme of this Voting Gauntlet is Princes vs Princesses" I read aloud "And the contestants will be Lucina, Eirika, Elise and Sharena for the princesses, along with Chrom, Ephraim, Leo and Alfonse for the princes. Travel to southern Askr to register the team you're going to support"

"How does this "Voting Gauntlet" even work?" I wondered aloud. I decided to go ask Anna about it when she woke up. I walked over to the notice board and pinned the two new banners up, along with the Voting Gauntlet notice. I left Robin, Chrom and Robinne alone to discuss it while I headed to the mess hall for breakfast. While I was eating, the rest of my heroes began to enter the mess hall. Anna came to me with a report that Embla has attacked the World of Awakening during their annual Spring Festival.

"Alright, I'll take Robin, Chrom, Jeorge and Robinne over there to liberate it" I said "Tell them to get ready in the lobby in an hour"

"Got it!" Anna nodded and was about to go to Jeorge's table, but I called after her.

"Anna! Can I ask you a question?" I asked and she turned around, strolling back to my table.

"We just received mail today of an upcoming "Voting Gauntlet" in the coming week" I told her "Do you know what a Voting Gauntlet is exactly?"

"Good question! A Voting Gauntlet is a popularity contest between 8 different heroes!" Anna explained "You pick a hero to support and then gain points for the team by fighting enemy teams and winning!"

"That sounds… interesting" I said slowly "But are the other team's soldiers Emblian?"

"Oh no, Embla has nothing to do with this" Anna said "You see, the fights are 3 on 3. You are only able to send in one hero"

"What? Then who are the other two on my team?" I asked.

"Well… this might be hard to explain" Anna scratched her head "But you see, this Askr is only part of one dimension. There are multiple Askrs in different dimensions and timelines that have different chosen summoners"

"What?" I was already confused.

"Don't think about it too hard" Anna advised "Anyway, the Voting Gauntlet arena is in the center of this rift of dimensions, so every summoner from each timeline is able to visit it. The summoner who's on your team sends in their one hero and they become your team"

"Umm… okay" I decided not to dwell on the whole "timelines and dimensions" thing. Otherwise my brain would explode.

"So we gain points for the hero we support if we win the fight?" I asked.

"Yes and no" Anna said "You determine the potency of your points through attacking with a certain number of Battle Flags"

"Battle Flags?"

"Yeah, they are mini blue flags that you deposit into a box in the arena after you win a fight" Anna explained "The amount of flags you drop into the box determines how many points you give to your team"

"Are the teammates I get random?"

"One of them is a random teammate from the army you're supporting" Anna said "The other will be the lead hero from your "Friend's List""

"Friend's List?" this place was starting to sound more and more like a video game with every passing day "So I'm able to befriend other summoners in this whole "dimension and timeline" stuff?"

"Exactly. The friends you register will appear on the stone monument in the lobby" Anna said, then raised an eyebrow "You DID notice the stone, right?"

I recalled a glowing blue stone monument opposite of the quest fountain, but I never wondered what it did. I thought it was some sort of decoration.

"So I'm guessing that the monument magically inscribes the summoner's name and lead hero once I befriend them" I assumed.

"You're exactly right! Wow, did you read up on this Lucian?" Anna asked, impressed.

"No, I just guessed"

"Oh"

"Anyways, you should go tell Jeorge and the others to start getting ready"

"Yes sir!"

I finished my breakfast and waited in the lobby for my heroes to arrive. Not long after, Robin, Chrom, Jeorge and Robinne came from the mess hall to the lobby.

"Alright everyone. Today we're tackling the World of Awakening. Embla has seized control of it during its annual Spring Festival"

"Time to see if those eggs really are throwing weapons" Robinne said smiling.

"Are we really still arguing over that?" Robin slapped his forehead.

"What are you two talking about?" Jeorge asked.

"Don't even ask Jeorge" Chrom said, then turned to me "Lead the way Lucian"

We went through the portal to the World of Awakening and ended up in a town square decorated high and low in Easter-escue decor.

"Every April, this town in Ylisse holds a festival in the hopes that they'll have a bountiful harvest" Chrom explained "They decorate eggs in various colors, wear rabbit costumes…"

"And battle with carrots and eggs!" Robinne put in.

Suddenly, Spring Chrom came towards us, his signature Carrot Axe in hand "Welcome to the Ylissean Spring Festival! Have you come to enter the competition?"

"Oh right, there's a competition too" Chrom said "Whoever wins the Spring brawl wins a year's supply of carrots apparently"

"Well, that'll be great for the army" Robin drew his Blarraven "We wouldn't have to worry about food supply ever again"

"Anyhow, the festival is just about to begin. Spring is here and we aren't about to lose. Let's go!" Chrom urged, drawing his Silver Sword from his sheath. Spring Chrom ran back and waved his hand in the air while shouting "The Askrians are here!"

Two fliers flew over a town building while an Emblian Cleric came out of a general store. One of the fliers was Camilla, holding a green and purple egg in her hand. Her Emblian escort was a regular Sword Flier with a Killing Edge.

"Jeorge, take down the fliers. Robinne will assist you. Robin and Chrom, defeat Spring Chrom and the cleric. Go!" I commanded and my heroes moved. Camilla flew right above Jeorge, casting a Rexcalibur-like spell behind her. The swirling tornado seemed to be mixed with pink eggs. Jeorge swiftly jumped aside to dodge the wind magic and nocked an arrow in his Silver Bow. His arrow flew and hit Camilla's mount in the stomach, making it screech in pain.

"Guess it wasn't a throwing item after all" Robinne murmured then shook her head, calling a spiritual wolf head into the sky, arcing it to Camilla's direction. Camilla managed to steer her wyvern away in time to dodge it, but another arrow came flying and impaled her mount in the face. The wyvern screeched in agony and spiraled to the ground, leaving Camilla an easy target for another arrow from Jeorge. Robinne watched Camilla's wyvern crash onto the ground, then turned to the Sword Flier's Killing Edge at her chest. The Sword Flier ran the katana blade through Robinne's chest, but the tactician quickly dashed back, dislodging herself from the sword.

"Robinne!" Robin ran to his sister just as Chrom finished off his spring version with a stab to the chest. The Sword Flier rushed to finish off the female tactician, but Jeorge shot the flier in the head with an arrow and the pegasus knight crumbled.

"Robinne, are you okay?!" Robin held his sister's shoulders as she held her chest, wheezing and panting hard.

"I'm… fine" Robinne coughed blood "Just… just a flesh wound"

"Just relax. Lean on me" Robin shouldered Robinne and carried her over to me "You have the first aid kit?"

"Always have it with me" I took the kit out from my supply bag and handed it to Robin. Robin sat Robinne down and cut three long strips of white cloth. He wrapped it around Robinne's chest, covering the impalement wounds on both sides. Once he tied the three strips together to hold them in place, Robinne's bleeding stopped. Only a splotch of red was visible on the wound entrance. Meanwhile, Chrom's sword glowed with golden light.

"Anything can change!" Chrom leaped into the air and slashed the poor cleric in half with Sol. The golden light on his blade transferred to Chrom's body, where it healed the minor wounds Spring Chrom gave him. With the cleric gone, the town square seemed to be empty of enemies.

"Are you able to stand?" I asked Robinne.

"Yes…" Robinne steadied herself and took a deep breath before rising "Yes, I can still stand and fight. Don't worry about me Lucian"

Before we left however, Spring Chrom reappeared in a flash of magic, like usual.

"You're strong competitors, but this is far from over" he said and Camilla appeared right beside him.

"We'll hop back into battle soon. Perhaps if we eat our carrots, we'll come out on top?" Camilla scratched her wyvern's ear "See you later!" and the two disappeared.

Heading deeper into the town, I heard two voices from a white coloured house with two doors on each side. The entire exterior was decorated with crudely coloured eggs.

"What do you think of my egg Prince Xander?" the female voice asked, which Chrom, Robin and Robinne all recognized "The way it's painted, I think it's cute...and pretty...and maybe even the most stylish egg here"

"That egg is gaud- I mean, delightful" the male voice stammered in a reply "Who would think to put those colors together? Very... original"

"I'm glad you like it. You have a reputation for having an eye for beauty" Lucina complimented "Here, you can have it"

"How gracious of you, Princess Lucina, but…" Xander looked out the window "Oh, look! We have challengers among us. I'm eager to brandish my carrot in battle. Let's get to fighting!"

On cue, an Emblian Sword Fighter and Bow Cavalier entered the house, providing reinforcement to Spring Lucina and Xander. Glancing through the window, I noticed Lucina and the Sword Fighter were paired together while Xander and the Bow Cavalier stood side to side on their horses. I decided to send the Robin twins to the side where Xander and the Bow Cavalier were. Robinne's Gronnwolf was effective against cavalry, so she could be a great help there. I told Chrom and Jeorge to stand by and not attack since I didn't see a clear advantage against Lucina and the Sword Fighter.

"Based on how Camilla's egg worked in the last battle, I think both the egg weapons are magical" Robinne informed me "Camilla's egg was infused with wind magic. I predict that Lucina's is infused with thunder magic. Lord Chrom, do not approach her"

"Alright then. I'll hold Chrom and Jeorge back until you two are finished" I said and the two tacticians ran through the thicket of trees to reach the right side of the house. Robin nudged the door open and the Bow Cavalier nocked an arrow into his Assassin's Bow, nearly sniping Robin's head with an arrow. Robin and Robinne hid under a bush as the Bow Cavalier and Spring Xander galloped outside, searching for their enemies.

"There!" the Bow Cavalier pointed to me, Chrom and Jeorge in the distance "Get them!"

"Blarraven!"

"What?!" a wall of spirit ravens smashed into the Bow Cavalier by surprise, knocking him to the ground in a single hit. Xander looked around in confusion, trying to discern where the magic came from and then Robinne cried out.

"Gronnwolf!"

A magical wolf head bashed into Xander from the left, the magic eating away at Xander's mount. While he was stunned, Robinne launched another Gronnwolf attack, taking the Spring Prince out of the picture. But the defeat of the Bow Cavalier and Xander alerted the Sword Flier and Spring Lucina. The duo rushed out from the left door, charging straight towards me, Chrom and Jeorge.

"Blue Egg!" Lucina thrust her hand forward while holding her coloured egg in her other. The egg sizzled with electricity before a bolt of Thoron lightning shot out from Lucina's hand.

"Dodge it Chrom!" I called and Chrom just barely sidestepped the bolt. Had Lucina been closer, Chrom would of taken lethal damage. The Sword Fighter engaged with Chrom with his Brave Sword while Jeorge distracted Lucina with his arrows. Fortunately, Robin and Robinne arrived back fast and assisted Chrom and Jeorge. Robin took down the Sword Fighter and Robinne finished off Lucina, although Jeorge took a Blue Egg shot in the process. As usual, the defeated heroes reappeared in flashs of magic when we defeated them.

"We have no choice but to retreat, Princess Lucina" Xander informed the princess.

"W-was it my egg? Maybe the colors do clash a little…" Lucina said sadly before hopping onto Xander's horse and riding away.

Finally, we arrived in a garden area at the edge of town. Spring Chrom, Lucina, Camilla and Xander were all waiting for us.

"I had a strong hunch that you and your companions would make it this far" Chrom said.

"I think they survived this long just to face me again" Camilla said seductively "Right Lucian?"

"Err no" I said, blushing a little.

"Your progression has been impressive. You are proving to have great potential" Xander complimented, then rose his Carrot Lance "But the question remains, can you take all of us at once?"

"Let's start the final battle. Spring is here, so let's see who wins this season!" Lucina's Blue Egg began to spark with electricity. Spring Chrom was occupying the right side of the garden while Camilla held the right. Both Spring Lucina and Xander were in the middle. Trying to lure Spring Chrom with my Chrom wasn't a good idea.

"If you try to lure Spring Chrom from the pathway, you'll be an easier target for Xander and Lucina" Robin pointed out "I think a better idea is to lure Spring Chrom from the trees, where Lucina can't reach you and Xander can't traverse"

"Good idea" I sent Chrom through the shrubs towards Spring Chrom, but Xander and Lucina were going all out offensive. Thankfully, I had Robinne stand in their way.

"Time to tip the scales!" Robinne called out her brother's signature catchphrase and glowed with the vibrant orange flames of Ignis. She opened her Gronnwolf tome and threw a fiery wolf head at Lucina, smashing the Spring Exalt to the ground. Lucina's Blue Egg flew in the air and shattered on the ground as Lucina began to fade away, defeated. Xander managed to stab Robinne in the shoulder with his lance, but the tactician shrugged it off and cast Gronnwolf right in Xander's face. The wolf head ate away at Xander's horse until Xander collapsed onto the ground, his Carrot Lance falling out of his hands. A quick arrow from Jeorge took the cavalier out. Meanwhile, Chrom dueled with his seasonal variant, Silver Sword against Carrot Axe. Chrom landed a hard strike onto Spring Chrom's shoulder, but he kicked Chrom in the chest and fell back, picking a carrot off his axe to eat it and heal his wounds.

"I'll finish this!" Chrom jumped in the air, the sunset catching the light of his blade. Chrom's Sol attack caught Spring Chrom in the shoulder, the sheer force nearly cleaving his arm off. Spring Chrom tried to switch his weapon to his other hand to counterattack, but Robinne ambushed him from behind with Gronnwolf, taking down the axe fighter. All was left was Camilla.

"Growing Flame!" Jeorge's arrow caught fire as he shot it towards Camilla. Upon contact with the wyvern's head, the arrow exploded into a wide line of flames, scorching the wyvern and Camilla. Camilla attempted to counter by summoning a tornado with her Green Egg, but Chrom jumped in the way and deflected it with his sword. Another arrow from Jeorge brought the princess down and the battle to a close.

"Congratulations! You won!" Lucina congratulated once the four Spring heroes reappeared without their weapons.

"Aren't we the lucky ones? The prize for winning this is a year's supply of carrots" Robinne said "That could feed the army for months!"

"Not so fast, Robinne. You think you're getting away with the victory carrots... without wearing the proper attire?" Camilla winked "You're the winner of the spring festival, after all. You have to wear a springy costume like mine"

"Wh-what? I have to dress up as a rabbit?!" Robinne blushed wildly "That's… that's so…"

"Oh, sweetie. There's nothing embarrassing about it" Camilla reassured "You'll look adorable. You might even surpass us in rabbity fashion. Now, this way to the costumes…"

"But...um...we were just leaving! I can't… we're in a hurry!" Robinne protested.

"Oh, it won't take long!" Camilla laughed, grabbing Robinne's hand "Come along!"

"Well, let's leave them to their business while we wrap up ours" Spring Chrom said.

"Indeed! I declare this spring festival to have come to a close" Xander announced "But as for all of us... I think you need only call, and we will surely come running"

"Agreed. Should you summon us, we'll be there, carrots and spring gear in hand, ready to battle" Spring Chrom promised.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to state that I don't usually dress like this" Xander said and everyone laughed.

"I'd jump at the chance to wear this if we meet again. It's odd… but a nice change for me" Lucina said.

"Surely we shall meet again. Now, may spring blessings be yours, festival victors!"

We met up with Robinne shortly after to bring her back to Askr.

"Robinne you look… you look…" Robin looked like he was trying not to laugh.

"Not a word brother. Not a single word"

 **And Spring Festival is finished! Next up are the Grand Hero Battles against Michalis and Ursula, along with the first Voting Gauntlet: Princes vs Princesses. Thank you again as always for the favorites, followed and reviews. Until next time!**


	17. Grand Hero Battle: Ursula

A Summoner's Journey

Grand Hero Battle: Ursula

 _Team for this chapter: Robin, Robinne, Eliwood and Priscilla_

After we returned from the Spring Festival, I gave my heroes a break before we tackled the two Grand Hero Battles. I decided to go with Ursula's first, so I headed over to the war room to strategize with Alfonse. Robin, Robinne and Jeorge came in shortly after.

"The two thieves here are clearly the biggest problem" Robin said "We're unable to use infantry allies because of the effective damage of their daggers"

"So we should send in someone who can retaliate at the thieves, but isn't an infantry class" Jeorge put in "What are our options?"

"All our cavalry, fliers and armors we have can't retaliate at a distance" Alfonse reminded Jeorge "Our best option for a "thief killer" is Robin"

"More like our only option" Robinne said "Robin is the only wielder of the Blarraven tome in this army, which is able to deflect daggers, arrows and staff magic"

"So we'll settle on Robin as the thief killer. Who's next?" I asked.

"We need someone that can easily kill Ursula" Alfonse said "Nino and Robinne are our best options"

"Ursula's a cavalier, so it's better that I go" Robinne pulled out her Gronnwolf tome "My Gronnwolf is effective against cavalry heroes and Lucian recently taught me the skill "Blue Tomebreaker""

"She's the perfect Ursula killer" Robin realized.

"Alright, Robinne's on the squad too. Who else do we need?"

"A swordsman who isn't infantry" Jeorge said "Because I doubt the Robin twins can handle the Axe Knight in the hallway"

"Eliwood is the only one who fits that criteria" Robine informed.

"That's fine then. Eliwood has Axebreaker" I said "So who's our last team member?"

"Someone to support the team from the backlines" Jeorge tapped his forehead "I recommend bringing Olivia or a healer"

"I think a healer will be more important here" Robine stated "We fail the challenge if any of us gets defeated, so having someone to heal our wounds and keep us in the fight will vastly improve our odds of winning"

"Alright then. Priscilla will be that healer" I decided, then looked at everyone around the war table "Any objections?"

"None. Now let's devise our strategy to win this fight" we spent the next hour planning out our strategy to win Ursula's Grand Hero Battle. After that was done, we were set to go.

After assembling my team, we headed off into the World of Blazing, Ursula's Grand Hero Battle card in my hand. We landed back in the Bern Manse where we fought Jaffar and Nino, with two cracked walls blocking our way into the building.

"Maxime, are our forces in position?" Ursula asked a Sword Cavalier next to her.

"Yes Lady Ursula. Our Black Fang soldiers are ready to attack"

"Good, good. I can sense our prey has entered the battlefield. It's time to fight" Ursula held up her Blarwolf+ tome, with glowed with blue light "Move to your station Maxime"

"Understood" the cavalier drew his Silver Sword+ and positioned himself just behind the cracked wall, to ambush the attackers when they broke down the barrier.

"Hmm… I can sense…" Robin had his eyes shut tightly "There's an Axe Armor knight just behind the hallway here, next to the cracked walls"

"I suspect that enemies are hiding behind the cracked walls to ambush us if we break them down, so heading through the hallway is an easier approach" Robinne suggested.

"Let's be vigilant and careful of our surroundings. I'll go first since I can take down the Axe Armor knight easily" Eliwood galloped slowly into the hallway and suddenly, a dagger flew over the wall and came down onto Eliwood. Thankfully, Robin's instincts were fast enough to raise a Blarraven wall to deflect it, then he directed the ravens downwards to attack the thieves. Meanwhile, the Axe Armor knight noticed Eliwood and approached him, brandishing his Killer Axe. Eliwood was faster and slashed his sword downwards, cutting the knight by the shoulder. The cavalier managed another slice and thanks to Axebreaker, the knight's Killer Axe was severed in half, rendering it useless. Just as another thief began to enter into the hallway, Eliwood finished off the Axe Knight with a stab to the face, then retreated quickly. But as Eliwood passed the cracked walls, a sinister female voice called out.

"Blarwolf!"

A giant spiritual wolf head came out of the wall and slammed into Eliwood hard. If it wasn't for Eliwood's great resistance to magic, Eliwood would of been defeated already. Thankfully, the location of where the wolf head came from allows Robinne to pinpoint Ursula's position. She rushed over to where Eliwood used to be and opened her Gronnwolf tome.

"Gronnwolf!"

A sharp hiss was heard over the wall followed by the ripping of pages. Robinne's Blue Tomebreaker kicked in. Robinne sent another Gronnwolf through the wall, but this time, a male voice grunted from the impact.

"No time for this!" a Silver Sword slammed into the cracked wall and broke it apart. There, a weakened Sword Cavalier, Ursula and Thief were waiting. But by breaking the wall, they reversed the situation on themselves. They waited for the wall to be broken by **us** to ambush us, but they completely turned their plan on it's head. Taking the opportunity, Robin unleashed a storm of ravens at the Sword Cavalier, taking him down. Robinne charged into the manse and defeated Ursula with an easy Gronnwolf attack, but not before taking a Poison Dagger to the waist. The thief was about to throw another dagger and end Robinne, but Robin pushed her out of the way and took the hit for her, like a brother would to protect his sister. Robin shot a quick bolt of lightning from his tome to finish off the thief. Meanwhile, the last thief on the field came from the hallway and threw his Poison Dagger at Eliwood. But due to Eliwood being a cavalier, the dagger didn't deal as much damage as it did to Robinne. After being healed by Priscilla, Eliwood galloped over and slammed his sword into the thief's head, killing him in one hit. Finally, the battle was over.

"I am Ursula, the Blue Crow of the Black Fang assassins. Hmm…" the mage cavalier looked me over "I sense… perfection in you. Good.. very good"

"Uhm… happy to have you on our team" I said uneasily before leading my squad back to Askr. The battle awarded us with a 4 star Ursula, coming in with the Blarwolf tome and Rising Thunder special attack. She also had Death Blow and Threaten Resistance as her passive skills. A very powerful kit of skills, to be honest. As I left Ursula to be assigned a barracks spot by Anna, I headed down to the library to continue reading. I've gotten very into romance novels as of late. After all, I considered love to be a very powerful and primal sort of feeling. Something that took hard work, dedication and sacrifice to attain. As I was reading, Priscilla came up to me, resting her Panic staff in her lap.

"Oh hello Lord Lucian" the troubadour said politely, like any princess would talk.

"Hello Lady Priscilla. How are you?" I asked, not even looking up from my novel.

"Ah, I'm good at the moment. May I ask about your book?"

"Ask away"

"Is… is there a reason why you're reading a romance novel?"

I looked up from my book "Sorry?"

Priscilla backed away slightly "It's just that, I heard people often read about stuff they desire. I was wondering if you were under the same fate"

I sighed, putting my book down in my lap "You read me like a book Priscilla"

"I knew it" the troubadour gave a light triumphant smile "Which means… you desire love. Why so?"

I flashbacked to my time before I arrived in Askr. A beautiful lady. Desperate attempts to get her attention. Then the day I poured my feelings for her. The cold silent treatment. Taking her silence as a refusal, I ran off. Then she forgot about me. I saw her with another man, acting as if they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Hopes crushed and a vow to the sky that I'll never love anybody again. I never wanted to taste the feeling of silence and betrayal again.

"Just… there's been some issues between me and a lady back at home" I said to Priscilla "It's the case of unrequited love. I love her, yet she doesn't return the feelings. After I confessed to her, she didn't even respond and the next day, she was acting normal again. Not even a word to me"

Priscilla reached over and brushed a tear off my face, one that I didn't even notice fall.

"I had my fair problems with love too" Priscilla said "Back in my world, I had to reject two great men, a swordsman named Guy and a wyvern rider named Heath. Simply because I was a princess and they were mercenaries"

"Were you able to find true love in the end though?" I asked.

"Yes… I fell in love with a man named Erk. He wasn't of any nobility, but he was linked to Pent, the mage general of my home region Etruria" Priscilla clasped her hands together "That gave him the ability to marry someone like me"

"I'm glad you were able to get a happy ending" I said, resting my head on my hands "Too bad the same isn't going to happen for me"

"If you classify "happy ending" as "true love", you'll be mistaken Lord Lucian" Priscilla said reassuringly "One day, you will return to your world and find someone of your own. Believe me. Don't lose hope. Never lose hope"

"Perhaps I can find that one person in this world?" I wondered out loud.

"Perhaps…" Priscilla trailed off "But please, don't wallow in despair because of one rejection. I had to reject two men back in my world and it crushed me horribly. But they showed great perseverance when they reassured me and said that they understood we couldn't be together"

"Yeah… I see" I offered Priscilla my hand "Thank you Lady Priscilla. I'll try searching for someone else when I get home"

"You're very welcome Lord Lucian" Priscilla nodded "I pray that you find someone that is fit for a leader like yourself"

"One question though"

"What is it?"

"Am I able to still read romance novels?"

Priscilla giggled "Of course you're able to. Who said I was stopping you?"

"Ha ha, good to know" I picked the book off my lap "What are you here for anyways?"

"Well, I was thinking of reading some novels as well"

"Which ones in particular?"

"I actually didn't think on what to read. I just came here because I like reading"

"Would you mind if I showed you around, perhaps introduce you to a book?"

"You don't mind?"

"I'm a gentleman before a bookworm" I said as I lent my hand to the princess.

Priscilla giggled "Well said, Lord Lucian. Lead the way"

 **Grand Hero Battles are tough to write extensively, so I kept this one short. The next parts are going to be relatively the same length, as they are Michalis's Grand Hero Battle and the first Voting Gauntlet. As always, thank you all for the favorites, follows and reviews. Until next time readers!**


	18. Grand Hero Battle: Michalis

A Summoner's Journey

Grand Hero Battle: Michalis

 _Team for this chapter: Klein, Abel, Narcian and Lyn_

After a two hour break from Ursula's Grand Hero Battle, I left Priscilla in Askr's library and returned to the war room, where Robin, Robinne, Jeorge and Alfonse were already strategizing.

"More than half of the enemies on this team are fliers" Robin said "So bringing an archer like Jeorge or Klein would be very useful"

"I'd recommend Klein for this mission" Jeorge commented "He has the Brave Bow, which is capable to striking twice regardless of Klein's speed. That means he's guaranteed to slay the fliers before the go out of range while I may struggle to nock a second arrow before they scram"

"Good point Jeorge" I said "So Klein's the first member of our team. Who else do we need?"

"A lancer to take care of the Sword Cavalier on the northeast corner of the map" Robinne informed "Who do we have for options?"

"For lancers and blue mages, all we have is Sharena, Abel, Robin and Odin" Alfonse said.

"Abel would be a good choice" Robin said "He has a horse, so he's able the close the distance easily. Plus, his skill "Swordbreaker" guarantees that the Sword Cavalier dies"

"All in favor for Abel?"

Nobody objected.

"Alright, Abel as the second member. Who's next?"

"An axe user or green mage to take down the lance fighter on the northwest" Robinne said "Me, Nino, Anna, Frederick, Narcian and Julia are the options"

"Narcian has an Emerald Axe and Lancebreaker skills, so he's the best option to kill the lance fighter as fast as possible" Alfonse said.

"Narcian should work well" I nodded "Narcian for the third spot. Who's last?"

"Perhaps a swordsman to handle Michalis" Robinne suggested "Klein might be too occupied with the other fliers to deal with Michalis, so we need someone else to fight him"

"I elect Lyn for that spot" I said "She's quick, strong and reliable. I believe she works the best here"

"Alright then, Lyn as the last member. Now it's time to strategize" Robin pointed to the map on the table, which shown Michalis's battlefield in bigger resolution.

An hour later, we finished creating out strategy and I left for the World of Mystery at sunset. From the portal, me and my team arrived in a mountainside valley.

"This looks familiar" Abel gazed around the valley, taking in the verdant green grass and trees "I remember fighting King Michalis of Macedon here alongside Prince Marth"

"I've seen you before too…" a sharp, sinister voice cut through the air and a wyvern rider with dark black armor appeared over a mountain. In his hand was Minerva's axe, the Hauteclere.

"We fought back in Askr during Embla's invasion, didn't we?" Michalis pointed the Hauteclere at me "However, I only fight so that Macedon will one day conquer the world. I will eliminate all who stand in my way. Now that that bumbling Camus is out of the way, I can tear you apart without mercy. Dragoons of Macedon, to me!"

Coming out of the forts surrounding the valley was a Lance Fighter with a Heavy Spear+ and a Sword Cavalier with a Silver Sword+. A pair of pegasus knights flew over the mountain and joined Michalis, one holding a Killing Edge+ and the other holding a Killer Lance+.

"Alright everyone! Stick to the plan!" I commanded "Abel, gallop to the right side of the valley and take down the Sword Cavalier. Provoke the fliers out of the valley and lure them over to Klein and Lyn. Narcian, head over to the left side and attack the Lance Fighter. Go!"

My heroes rushed to their positions and began their attack. Abel closed in on the Sword Cavalier quickly and stabbed the enemy twice thanks to his Brave Lance. The second strike his lance shattered the foe's sword, so when the Sword Cavalier counterattacked, a huge portion of his range was missing. It was like the Sword Cavalier was swinging about a butter knife. Abel sidestepped the swing and struck again, killing the cavalier in another two strikes. Once the cavalier fell, the two pegasus knights noticed and chased Abel over the mountain. Abel smartly retreated back to our position and the pegasus knights followed him… right into Klein's Brave Bow.

"Such foolishness" Klein launched two arrows, striking down the Lance Flier. Abel easily killed the Sword Flier in turn. Meanwhile, Narcian provoked the Lance Fighter and the enemy charged at him, foolishly running into Narcian's Emerald Axe and Lancebreaker. Narcian took the Heavy Spear attack like it was nothing and swung his axe over his head. While the Lance Fighter staggered back from the attack, Narcian threw his axe into the air.

"You will learn your place!" Narcian caught his axe by the handle and smashed it over the Lance Fighter's head with Vengeance, defeating him. All that was left was Michalis. The king of Macedon flew over the mountain valley with his devastating Hauteclere in hand. He went straight for Narcian first.

"Lyn! Engage Michalis on the left side. Narcian, retreat!" I yelled.

The two followed my orders exactly, although Narcian wasn't fast enough to get out of Michalis's axe swing. The Hauteclere made a deep cut in Narcian's waist, but he quickly slashed his Emerald Axe over Michalis's face and got away.

"Klein! Shoot down Michalis!"

The archer readied his Brave Bow and launched two arrows, but Michalis shouted:

"I don't think so!"

And rose the shield on his right forearm in defense. The arrows bounced harmlessly off them.

"What?! How did you…" I thought fliers were weak to arrows. How did Michalis just shrug them off?

"The legendary shield of Macedon's founder, Iote, gives me the power to repel arrows!" Michalis declared "I will not be taken down so easily!"

"Watch this!" Lyn leaped into the air and slammed her Sol Katti down onto Michalis from behind, but the wyvern rider rose his Hauteclere in defense and blocked the sword. Michalis shoved Lyn backwards and slammed his axe over his head. Lyn leaped out of the way in time, but Michalis's axe pulverized the ground on where it landed. Abel and Narcian began to move in to help, but I held them back.

"If we lose anybody in this fight, we lose the battle!" I said "Lyn alone has the best chance of beating Michalis!"

From her jump, Lyn landed next to a mountain side, but Michalis left her no time to rest. He charged on his wyvern and attacked from the side, nearly taking Lyn's head off if she didn't duck. The Hauteclere lodged itself onto the mountainside, but Michalis shouted:

"Blazing Thunder!"

A powerful blast of electricity shot out of Hauteclere, splitting the mountain in two. Lyn was out of the way of the attack, but the mountain's debris began to crumble down, creating an avalanche. Lyn retreated away from the falling rocks, but Michalis didn't cause an avalanche to kill her. He flew behind the swordswomen and slammed the Hauteclere into her back.

"AAAAAHHGGHH!" Lyn screamed as she crumbled to the ground, a huge gash marking her back.

"LYN NO!" I shouted and my other heroes rushed forward, determined to kill Michalis before Lyn died.

"Don't even try!" Michalis swung his Hauteclere in a wide arc, forcing my heroes to back away. But he didn't know Lyn was still alive. While his back was turned, Lyn jumped and impaled her Sol Katti into Michalis's back. Surrounded by the auras of Defiant Attack and Galeforce, Lyn ripped her sword out from the wyvern rider's back, ending his life for good. As Michalis and his wyvern faded away in shock, Lyn's auras dispelled. She gave me a weak smile, then fell to her knees, collapsing on the ground.

"Lyn! LYN!"

Two hours after I got a 4 star Michalis, Lyn awoke in the castle infirmary. All of her clothing was gone and she only wore a plain light blue robe.

"Oh thank goodness, you're awake" Eliwood was sitting on a chair with Nino next to him, holding a bowl of soup gingerly.

"W-what happened…?" Lyn asked as she accepted the bowl from Nino and began to drink.

"Lucian returned to Askr and called for a healer to come into the courtyard. I saw you unconscious on Abel's horse with a gigantic cut on your back" Eliwood explained.

"It looked REALLY scary. I'm glad you're okay!" Nino gave Lyn a bright smile.

Lyn set down the bowl on the table next to her and reached her fingers to the wound on her back. She tensed as she traced her finger across the thick layers of bandages.

"The clerics barely saved you. Of course, we can't die due to the nature of this world…" Eliwood looked at the ground "But it'll be hard to see you fade into nothing, even after I saw it so many times from the enemy"

"Eliwood…" Lyn stared into space "Did… did we win the battle?"

"Yes. Lucian returned to Askr with Michalis alongside him" Eliwood said, smiling "He was really thankful to you for dealing the final blow"

"That's good…" Lyn laid her head onto her pillow "I feel so tired right now… could you leave me to sleep?"

"Of course. Let's go Nino" Eliwood got up and offered his hand to the little mage.

"Get well soon Lyn" Nino took Eliwood's hand and left the infirmary.

Meanwhile in the castle training yard…

"Whoa whoa! Michalis! Just relax a little!"

Michalis just appeared in the training yard shortly after Anna assigned him a spot in the barracks and instantly challenged Marth to a duel. But this wasn't a sparring match to Michalis. He was fighting as if he wanted to kill Marth. The Altean prince took a defensive stance and defended himself against Michalis's raging Silver Axe. Whenever Marth found the chance, he lunged with his sword, forcing Michalis back. The wyvern rider growled and rose his Silver Axe over his head, prepared to swing.

"Michalis stop!" Caeda suddenly appeared in front of Marth, blocking Michalis's axe with her huge Armorslayer. However, the weight of the weapon along with Michalis forcing his axe downwards began to crumple the Talys princess. Taking advantage of Caeda's distraction, Marth rushed to the side and lunged with his Silver Sword, but the wyvern rider shoved Caeda to the ground and forced back Marth with his axe.

"Michalis! That's enough!" suddenly a woman riding a wyvern while wearing crimson armor entered the scene. None of my heroes knew who she was.

"Minerva… sister" Michalis glared at the newcomer and lowered his axe.

"Michalis, please stop fighting!" Maria came into the training yard, tears in her eyes. Michalis's glare instantly melted away as he lightly embraced his crying sister by patting her head. Everyone was in bewilderment by the wyvern rider's sudden entrance and Michalis's change of attitude.

"Sorry for not introducing you" I said as I strolled into the middle of my shocked group of heroes "This is Princess Minerva of Macedon, our newest 5 star unit"

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance" Minerva bowed politely "I hope I can a great aid to this army"

"Another thing… Michalis" I faced the wyvern rider "From now on, do not treat our sparring sessions like real battles. We're all fighting for a common cause here and we must set aside grudges to do so"

"Hmph" Michalis exited the training yard in disgust, leaving his wyvern behind. Maria was right on his heels.

"What are you all still looking shocked for?" I asked my crowd of heroes "You came here to train right?"

Everyone shook themselves out of their bewilderment, but I could tell that they were thinking the same thing as me.

The Macedon siblings are going to be a handful to handle.

 **Sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out! My many end-semester exams and projects take up a lot of my time, so A Summoner's Journey might be going slow for a while until my exams are done. I hope you guys understand. As always, thank you very much for the favorites, follows and reviews. Until next time with the Princes vs Princesses's Voting Gauntlet!**


	19. Voting Gauntlet: Princes vs Princesses 1

A Summoner's Journey

Voting Gauntlet: Princes vs Princesses

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 1:**

On the day of the Princes vs Princesses Voting Gauntlet, Anna led me down to a portal in southern Askr, a huge one that showed a large brown arena beyond it. Anna explained to me that I had to bring one of my heroes with me to represent our Askr in the gauntlet, so I took Robin with me as well. As I bid my farewell to Anna, me and Robin leaped through the portal.

After floating through space for some time, we landed on flat ground, with the same giant arena in front of us. Next to the arena were a line of buildings with a bar, general store and a large hotel. I gazed into the sky. All around us was the space tunnels we just went through. They were depositing more summoners and their chosen heroes into this area. Anna was right about the alternate dimension nonsense. Everyone had the same clothes as me.

"This is… creepy" Robin murmured as another summoner passed me with a Ryoma at his side "Everyone looks like you"

"Not entirely Robin" I smiled as a girl with medium-length black hair and glasses passed us with her Sully.

"Anyhow, you said that we'll be staying here for six days?" Robin quickly turned the conversation back to business.

"Yes, that's how long the Voting Gauntlet is going for according to the letter" I said, pulling the envelope out of my pant pocket "The gauntlet will run for six days, two days for every battle"

"Well then, let's look around this little town for now" Robin stuck his hands into his coat pockets "First, we should book a room in the hotel before there aren't any left"

We made our way to the hotel and managed to grab a room on the fourth floor. Turns out, this hotel was made for the voting gauntlet, with at least twenty floors with over a hundred rooms each. We got into our room and set down the little supplies we had. The hotel room was simple, yet nothing could be said that was bad about it. It had two queen-sized beds with pegasus down pillows (as Robin recognized) along with a door leading out to the balcony. As I pulled out a sack full of Askrian currency, I was glad Alfonse reminded me to bring some money because we forgot to bring food. Luckily, a restaurant and general store were nearby to supply us with meals or snacks. We didn't have anything to leave in the room, so I just kept the sack of money along with the Voting Gauntlet letter in my pocket. Robin only had his Blarraven+ tome. Before we left though, we heard a knock on our door, then an envelope slipped underneath the door. I picked it up and opened it. Inside were 5 little blue flags.

"I guess these are our "battle flags" Anna mentioned" I muttered.

We locked our room and went towards the arena.

Once we were in the lobby, I went to the reception desk to register who I was supported. Beyond the reception were eight hallways, all blocked by some sort of transparent magical barrier.

"I'll be supporting Leo for this gauntlet" I informed the woman at the desk and she directed me to the hallway on the far right.

"Just to let you know, you're only allowed to enter a gauntlet battle every thirty minutes" she said "The magic barrier will register your presence and block you out if you attempt to go back in before half an hour has passed"

"Thank you for the info" I had no idea how the magic worked, but I decided to just listen to the woman's words and not question them. Me and Robin went through the Leo hallway and ended up on a plain, grassy field, with an empty spectator audience around us. Moments later, two more people emerged from hallways beside me. The girl with the Sully from before and a teenage guy with a Michalis. Then, our three opponents from Team Ephraim appeared: a guy with a Cherche, a girl with a Catria and another boy with a Draug.

"May the best team win" I said politely and the others repeated my line, although the Michalis guy simply scoffed. A loud horn sounded over the arena and our battle begun. I directed Robin towards Druag, but Cherche flew in his path and scared him off. Michalis dueled with Catria, but the fight didn't last long.

"I am the end of you!" Michalis's Hauteclere blazed with electricity and he slammed it onto the pegasus knight, vaporizing her into ash.

"Hey you!" I called to the Michalis guy "Do you mind sending Michalis to fight Cherche? She's blocking the way to Draug!"

The guy simply shrugged then pointed his finger towards Cherche. Michalis rocketed towards the wyvern rider with his axe and tackled her from the side, breaking Cherche away from the girl's Sully. Sully was bloodied and looked ready to collapse. She managed to survive one hit from Cherche's Hammer, but Sully's own Sapphire Lance betrayed her, making her more weak to axes than she thought. Michalis easily defeated Cherche, clearing the way for Robin to attack Druag.

"Here's how it's done!" Robin fired a swarm of Blarraven+, bombarding Draug in spiritual ravens, making the armored knight collapse.

"Unfair! They had a 5 star Michalis!" the Catria girl shouted angrily.

"Yeah, he's a whale!" the Draug guy accused, pointing his finger at the Michalis summoner.

Me, the Cherche guy and the Sully girl remained silent. Truthfully, the Michalis guy being a whale wasn't far off the mark. To those who don't know, whales are a term from my world where a player of a gacha game has multiple super rare ingame items, implying that they spent money on the game. But there was nowhere in Askr to purchase the feathers required to upgrade Michalis. Unlike Sharena, upgrading a 4 star to a 5 star took an extreme amount of feathers and badges. 20 thousand feathers and 20 great badges. Getting enough to upgrade Michalis took a ton of hard work, dedication and patience. Or just cheats and money. Me and my team went to deposit our battle flags in a wooden box near the exits, ignoring the enemy's yell of unfairness. Along the way, me and Robin noticed a familiar looking fountain in the town square nearby the arena.

"Oh, is that a quest fountain?" me and Robin made our way towards it and we saw summoners scrolling through what looked like stat screens. I found an empty spot around the fountain and stuck my finger into the fountain's stream of water, opening the quest list. As I scrolled through it, I noticed something.

All of the quest rewards were battle flags.

"Huh, it looks like the town of the Voting Gauntlet has specialized quests" I said to Robin, who was peering over my shoulder "Wonder how they did that"

"But how can we do some of these quests?" Robin reached his hand over my shoulder and scrolled down the list "This one says "Clear the Fifth Stratum of the Training Tower 5 times""

"Yeah so? What's the problem?"

"Well… do you see a training tower around here?"

I looked around and saw a large dark blue tower shimmering in the space-like atmosphere south of the town. A couple summoners were going in and out of the tower alongside their heroes.

"I think that's the tower over there" I pointed, "May as well finish the quests to get more flags and kill time, right?"

"Alright sure. Give me a moment to copy the quest requirements down" Robin produced a pad of paper and a pen from his coat. I swear there had to be at least four deep pockets in that coat. The tactician wrote for a couple seconds, then put the pad back in his coat along with his pen.

"Shall we go?" Robin took his Blarraven+ out and we headed towards the training tower. An hour or two later, we came out of the tower, every quest finished. I opened up the quest list at the quest fountain and confirmed that they were finished. The menu faded and several small blue flags appeared at the bottom of the fountain, each one marked with a faint white "100". I stuffed them into my pocket and we went back to our bedroom to rest.

After dinner and a second Voting Gauntlet battle, I was prepared to go to sleep. I came out of the washroom after brushing my teeth and found Robin holding a rather large tome. But it wasn't a magical tome. It looked more like a historical textbook.

"Sometimes I wonder how you keep all this stuff" I said while I flipped the hood off my coat, exposing my short black hair.

"Mage robes like this were made to carry large books" Robin laughed while picking at the edge of his coat "If you're wondering, this is a book I picked up from Askr's library. It's called "The Complete Genealogy of the Holy War". It's Jugdrali history"

"How interesting" I said as I looked over Robin's shoulder, reading off the page he was on "I often hear Seliph and Julia telling their story to the others in the mess hall. I always found it interesting"

"While interesting, the history of Jugdral is not for the faint of heart" Robin warned "For example, Emperor Arvis of Velthomer married a shaman of the Spirit Forest named Deirdre. Both of them had minor Loptyr blood. What do you think that means?"

"Uhm… incest?"

"Exactly"

"That doesn't seem too bad"

"Oh no, it gets worse. Deirdre was actually married twice and bore children twice. Before she was brainwashed into marrying Arvis, she already had a child with the heir to Chalphy, Sigurd. What's cruel is that she was allowed to see Sigurd one last time before Arvis mercilessly murdered Sigurd's entire army with his Roten Ritter Meteor tome mage squad"

"That's… that's terrible…"

"Yes. Pray tell that you don't summon Arvis into Askr" I saw an angry light in Robin's eyes "Otherwise, I might not be able to hold back my urge to strangle him to death"

"I've interacted with Julia before though" I pointed out "And she mentioned that Arvis has always been a good father to her. She stated that he was "as kind as you can imagine"

"He was simply caring for his family. That doesn't excuse the horrific acts that has brought chaos to all of Jugdral" Robin grumbled as he set down the history book "At least Seliph managed to stop him in the end"

"Yeah…" I fidgeting with my fingers "I don't think that's all to Arvis though. It feels like there is more to him than what is said in the books. I wouldn't mind summoning him to learn the full story"

"Hmph, if he doesn't show up with his Roten Ritter to besiege Askr, I don't give a damn if you summon him or not" Robin muttered.

I stared at him as he began to climb into bed to go sleep. His entire attitude changed when he began describing what Arvis has done in Jugdral history. Ordinarily, Robin's tone would be one of curiosity, professionalism and serenity. But Robin turned angry at the mention of Arvis's crimes, peppering his words with every bit of venom he could spew. I wonder if he acted like that towards other criminals too. I'll have to make sure Chrom can hold Robin back if I manage to summon the duke of Velthomer.

"What are you staring at me for?" Robin's voice jarred me out of my thoughts.

"O-oh nothing…" I quickly broke my stare away from Robin and climbed into my bed "Goodnight"

"Good night Lucian" Robin flicked the lamp on the nightstand off and I drifted off to sleep.

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 2:**

Me and Robin got up late into the morning and went out to the arena to quickly do the Voting Gauntlet battle. On top of the entrance into the arena, it showed the scores for each duel going on. So far, Leo was in the lead against Ephraim, although only by a short margin. Alfonse and Sharena were getting absolutely dominated by Chrom and Lucina, the Askr sibling's scores being beaten by nearly 300 million. Eirika and Elise were neck and neck at the moment. We entered another battle and found ourselves with a Raven and Eldigan as our allies. Facing us as enemies was an Olwen, Narcian and Tharja.

"Eldigan, make sure to follow the orders of this stranger's Robin. I'm sure he's a dependable tactician" the girl with the Eldigan said and I gave her a glancing smile.

"I'll be moving on my own" the Raven guy said impulsively "Raven, go after Olwen!"

"Olwen, engage with the incoming Raven!" the Olwen summoner commanded.

"Fight alongside Olwen, Tharja!" the Tharja summoner added.

The two mages rushed towards Raven, forcing Robin to come up with a strategy on the fly.

"Eldigan! Draw Tharja's attention away from Raven!" Robin called and the cavalier galloped ahead of Raven, his Mystletainn gleaming in the morning sun.

"Dire Thunder!" Olwen cast two thunderbolts down onto Eldigan, but the paladin quickly darted to the side to dodge them while still galloping to Tharja at full speed.

"Rauorblade!" Tharja's hand sparked with red energy, preparing to launch a volley of magical swords, but Eldigan crashed into her with his horse, slamming her several feet away. Narcian came after him with his Emerald Axe, but Eldigan swatted the wyvern rider aside with his sword. Olwen was prepared to strike Eldigan from behind with another Dire Thunder, but Raven took her down with two strikes of his Brave Axe. Meanwhile, Eldigan was dueling with Narcian while Tharja launched spells from behind. One of the Rauorblade swords struck Eldigan hard in the chest, but after he blocked Narcian's follow up attack, Eldigan's Mystletainn glowed with hot red light.

"I will finish you!" Eldigan yelled and slammed the Mystletainn into Narcian's chest, making it explode in a huge blast of light. Narcian was absolutely annihilated, but Tharja survived, landing a killing blow on Eldigan before he could respond.

"Do you like darkness?" Tharja grinned sinisterly as her Vengeance special activated, felling Raven in a single blow.

"Forgot about me?" Robin leaped in the air, looming over Tharja. He then cast Blarraven+ right on top of her head, pummeling Tharja to the ground with ravens. As the Plegian dark mage faded, I smiled.

"Good game everyone"

Everyone responded curtly, the Eldigan girl and Raven boy even giving me a smile and word of thanks for winning the battle as they deposited their battle flags. I put in a flag with a white 50 marked on it, then left the arena.

Following the battle in the morning, me and Robin headed out for breakfast at the local restaurant and buffet. Every half hour, we entered the arena to complete out battle. Some we won, some we lost. In one battle, my team of Robin, Gunter and Adult Tiki lost against the enemy team, consisting of Sanaki, Spring Lucina and Nowi. Eventually, nightfall came and me and Robin went to sleep.

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 3:**

I checked the scoreboard early this morning and found out that Leo sadly lost against Ephraim by quite a small amount. Meanwhile, Alfonse and Sharena lost horrendously against Chrom and Lucina, both of them losing by over three billion score. Elise lost to Eirika by a heavy one billion. The next matchups were Chrom vs Ephraim and Eirika vs Lucina. I decided to enlist in Ephraim's army next, as he seemed to be the coolest out of the four competitors. We fought in Voting Gauntlet battles, won some, lost others. I deposited my flags every time I won, not blowing all of them at once though. I threw in a couple 10s and 50s, but never a 100 or 200. My mother often belittled me for spending too much money back in my world, so I was trying to fix that bad habit.

"Well, this isn't fun" Robin murmured as he read a copy of "The War of the Stones" that he picked up at the town general store "I'm fine with fighting for six days straight, but I'm starting to miss my friends back at Askr"

"Really? Like who?" I asked, closing my copy of "The Liberation of Thracia"

"Oh, like Nino, Chrom, Jeorge and my sister of course" Robin said casually, without even looking up from his tome "I teach Nino reading and writing, Chrom's my best friend, Jeorge discusses tactics with me daily and my sister… well she's my sister"

"I see. Yeah, I miss them too" It was hard to relate to Robin missing his friends. I had very few friends back in my home world and although we were close, I was far from being "surrounded" by friends. Here in Askr, while I interact quite regularly with the Robin twins, Alfonse, Sharena, Seliph and Jeorge, I don't really have anyone as a close friend. I flashbacked to when Anna was explaining how the Voting Gauntlet worked. She went on to describe the "Friend's List", also known as the stone monument in the lower corner of the lobby. I never paid attention, nor understood how the friend's list worked.

"Hey Lucian, dinner time" Robin's voice jarred me out of my thoughts as I saw him about to open our stateroom door "You coming?"

"Y-yeah, I'm coming" I set down my book and accompanied Robin to the restaurant outside.

While me and Robin were eating by the windowsill, we heard a loud crash nearby a buffet line. I glanced over and saw a smashed plate and mess of food on the ground while a girl with black hair frantically apologized.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" the girl tried to help clean it up, but the guy she bumped into slapped her across the face, knocking her to the ground.

"Watch where you're going next time, girl! I had a rough day today and I don't have time for little accidents like you!" he snarled and kicked the girl in the waist, a loud whimper escaping her mouth.

"Hey! Get your damn hands off my master!" the girl's Sully came forward and shoved the boy summoner away, but the boy's Raven appeared, his Brave Axe drawn.

"Move aside" Raven growled and slashed his axe forward, forcing Sully back.

"You little piece of-" Sully drew her Sapphire Lance from her waist and prepared to attack Raven, but other people have noticed and their heroes stared, waiting for their summoner's orders.

"Hey, that guy's beating up a helpless girl! Come on Sheena! We have to help!" a guy with a Sheena began to run towards the brawl, followed by other summoners and heroes.

"We have to go help too!" I urged Robin, but he stopped me.

"If we rush in to attack this offender with the other summoners and heroes, this'll turn into a chaotic brawl" Robin informed "We need to resolve it peacefully"

"But how? You have any ideas?"

"Be back in a flash" Robin dashed towards the buffet line and made it before anyone else could, due to everyone trampling each other in their pursuit. Robin yanked the bully summoner away from kicking the girl's body and forced him to face Robin.

"Buddy, I think that's enough. You punished her for bumping into you and now you should grab your food again" Robin said in a stern, yet serene tone.

"Hmph" the summoner looked around and saw everyone staring at him "What are you all looking at?!"

The other summoners hurried back to their table because the Raven summoner looked downright murderous.

"Fine, I'll let the girl off today" the summoner muttered, nudging his boot onto the girl's shoulder "But if she causes me any trouble again, you aren't going to stop me!"

He shoved Robin aside and stormed towards the buffet line to grab another plate. Raven gave Robin a sharp glare along the way.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked as I offered the girl my hand. She took it and got up, shaky. Her hood had came off during the attack and it revealed her silky black hair, light green eyes and silver glasses. She had a bit of spaghetti on her forehead, so I casually wiped it off with my finger.

"Y-yes, I'm okay. Thank you for helping me" she smiled "My name is Saria and this is my companion for the Voting Gauntlet: Sully"

"Nice to meet you" Sully extended her hand and I shook it "Thank you for helping out Saria with Robin over there"

"You're welcome, both of you" I said, giving Saria a light grin "My name's Lucian and my companion is Robin. We're on Team Ephraim"

"Oh really? We're on the same team then" Saria said "As a matter of fact, I think I remember seeing you before. Whose team were you on yesterday?"

"Team Leo"

"Wow really? I was on the same team too!" Saria's eyes went wide "Did you fight in a battle alongside a Michalis and Sully? Against a Catria, Draug and Cherche?"

"Yes and yes" I quickly realized what happened. Saria was the same girl I fought with in the very first gauntlet battle.

"Whoa, I didn't think we would meet again!" Saria grinned "Maybe you and I can talk a little later. Know each other more"

"I'll accept" I nodded "Where do you want to meet up?"

"Perhaps outside the general store?"

"It's a deal!"

"Great! See you there!"

As me and Robin headed back to our table, I was giddy with joy. I've never had the courage to ask a girl out and it'd be a miracle if they ever asked ME. It wasn't a date with Saria, but it was a start. Robin picked up on my feelings of joy and showed an amused smile.

"So… is Saria starting to play with your strings?" Robin nonchalantly asked while twisting his fork into some spaghetti.

"Robin, we just met her. My strings haven't even been revealed yet" I countered while scooping some mashed potatoes "Leave the teasing to later"

"Believe me, the teasing will come very soon" Robin smiled lightly "When any pair in Chrom's army showed any sort of affection for each other, they were the topic of the mess hall for weeks!"

"It must of been mortifying for the two" I commented.

"Some took it well, while others didn't" Robin shrugged "Vaike took the teasing with a loud laugh and protesting that he didn't have any feelings for Sully while Cordelia blushed bright red at the thought of being attracted to Frederick"

"Guess I shouldn't show my affections too openly"

"That doesn't work. People find out love easier than they find out traitors" Robin let the joke hang in the air, although there was an edge of seriousness to it that may imply something more, but I didn't push it.

"Well, what about you? Did you get married in your world?" I asked.

"No. Sadly, I was caught up in so much work as Chrom's tactician that I didn't have time to find a lover. Everyone around me had a spouse to call their own, except for me"

"This is something Priscilla mentioned to me before we came here" I said "I'm suffering under love issues as well and she said that maybe I could find love in Askr"

"Well, this isn't Askr and you already found love" Robin smiled.

"Robin! Stop that!" I put my hand on my forehead as Robin laughed.

"Anyways, perhaps the same thing can happen to you?" I said once Robin stopped laughing "There are many tacticians throughout history that can be summoned to Askr. Maybe they can relate to you?"

"Yeah, it can happen" Robin took a sip of water "I've already made close friends with Jeorge due to us both being strategists. All I need is someone like that, but female"

"Hopefully I can summon someone exactly like that soon!" I laughed "Looks like you're finished. Ready to go out?"

"Yep, I'm done. Time to go to the general store, lover boy" Robin teased.

"Shut up Robin"

 **The Voting Gauntlet chapters are taking more time than I thought, so I'm splitting it up in two, three days each. As always, thanks for the follows, favorites and reviews. Until next time summoners!**


	20. Voting Gauntlet: Princes vs Princesses 2

A Summoner's Journey

Voting Gauntlet: Princes vs Princesses

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 3 (Night):**

Last night might of been one of the best nights in my life. I found Saria at the general store as she promised and we immediately hit it off. Robin politely interrupted us and told me that he'll be in the hotel room waiting for me. Saria's Sully said she'll head back to the hotel as well to leave us to chat. Once they left, me and Saria found a table outside the buffet and continued talking. We decided to start on where we lived in the real world and how old we were. Coincidentally, we lived in the same town and went to the same school when we were in elementary school. We were also the same age, although Saria was slightly older than me by three months. We then moved on to our personal hobbies.

"I like reading fantasy and history books in my spare time" I said, producing a small handbook titled "The War of the Stones" and laying it on the table "It helps me come up with ideas for my own stories"

"Oh, you write your own stories?"

"Yeah, I do. I've been writing a personal journal of sorts called "A Summoner's Journey""

"Wow, that's cool! May I see it?" Saria asked.

"Sorry, I left it back in Askr before I came here" I apologized "Maybe I can ask one of my mages to duplicate it with magic and send it to you?"

"If you could, that'd be great!" Saria clasped her hands together excitingly "Maybe in return, I can send one of my heroes to you with a drawing?"

"You're an artist?"

"Yeah, I am. I've always loved making art" Saria smiled fondly "In my spare time, I created portraits of all the heroes I had in my barracks. All of them loved it"

"Well, I'm excited to see it then" I smiled, then reached into my coat pocket to hand Saria a pad of paper with a pen "Maybe do a sketch on this paper?"

"What do you want me to draw?" Saria asked as she accepted the pen from my hand.

"Anything you want to. I'm not commissioning you to do anything" I put my hands behind my head as Saria nodded and began to draw. I closed my eyes to enjoy the calm serenity of the night and then I heard Saria's voice.

"Can you hold still for a second Lucian? I need to see your eyes"

I opened my eyes and glanced down at the paper Saria was drawing on. Looking it from upside down, it looks eerily similar to me. I began to get up to check, but Saria ordered me to sit down and I complied. Saria was excitable, gentle and creative, but she could be stern and commanding if she wanted to. She's a near perfect commander.

"Okay, I'm done now" Saria tore off the piece of paper from the pad and handed it to me. It was a beautiful portrait of me, with my jet black hair and grey glasses covering brown eyes. Well, without colour, it was just black hair and black eyes, but it still looked great nevertheless. Even better since it was only a sketch.

"Dang, you're good" I complimented, placing the portrait in my coat pocket next to my heart "I may specialize in writing, but I've done art before and I never saw anything this good from a sketch!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere" Saria smiled, although she was blushing slightly "You should see what I can do with my colours and other tools"

She handed back my paper pad and pen "Besides, I'm sure you're just as good with your writing. Writing IS an art form after all"

"I'd show you it, but I don't have it with me sadly" I said "And I can only write so much with such little paper"

"True" Saria nodded, then glanced around town "How do you think Ephraim is doing against Chrom?"

"Score wise? Probably the most tense match yet" I glanced at the scoreboard not too far from the restaurant front patio "They've been going at each other for the entire day, with no clear winner"

"Yeah, it's really intense. What about the other match?"

"Oh that? Eirika's getting steamrolled" I replied as I took a look at the scoreboard again "She's currently being beaten by Lucina by 2 billion. It doesn't look good for Eirika"

"So whoever wins between Ephraim vs Chrom will have to face Lucina?"

"If Eirika somehow pulls off a miracle, then yes. I heard she has many fans, so facing her in a popularity contest is going to be tough"

"Not a big deal if we lose though" Saria shrugged "The feathers from the last battle between Leo and Ephraim got sent back to Askr. It's a large amount"

"Oh really? How much?" I asked, intrigued.

"About 2000 feathers" Saria put her hand on her chin thoughtfully "Depends how well you score compared to your allies"

"I see" I'll have to check how much I got when I go back to Askr.

Saria glanced at the bright moon in the sky, then wavered.

"I have to go now" she said "It's nearly midnight"

"You can tell that without a clock?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, it's easy to tell when you can see the moon" Saria smirked at me "I want to be up early to hit the gauntlet and also to grab breakfast early. The line at the buffet is inhumanly long at the normal time"

I shuddered. Me and Robin had to wait an hour to grab our food for breakfast one day because we overslept. I mentally noted to try and get up early, if I wasn't too tired.

"Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow Lucian?" Saria asked, jolting me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, see you later" I got up from my chair "Goodnight"

"Goodnight Lucian" Saria came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek "Thank you for saving me back at the buffet"

"It was mostly Robin though" I protested, although my cheek felt warm "I didn't do much to help you"

"Well, you helped me by talking just now. I think I made a new friend" Saria smiled "So just take the kiss alright? I thought you boys liked it"

"I… I…" I couldn't even reply as Saria laughed and walked back towards the hotel. Once I got over myself, I made my way back too.

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 4:**

The next day followed the usual routine. I got up early just as Saria recommended and headed to the buffet before Robin did for breakfast. We then headed to the arena to do a battle and ended up being paired with a Sanaki and Fae. Our enemies from Team Chrom consisted of a Jaffar, Camilla and Roy.

"You there" Robin pointed to the girl with the Sanaki "Send Sanaki towards the right side where Camilla is. Your magic should be able to defeat her in one hit"

As Sanaki left, Robin commanded the boy with the Fae to head to the center and draw enemy fire.

"Watch out for Roy though. He has a skill called Triangle Adept, which makes his attacks stronger against opponents he's strong against" Robin warned before Fae went off. Robin decided to stay behind Fae to take down Jaffar and Roy if they went for her. Instead, Camilla rushed towards Fae, her Brave Axe in hand, but Sanaki was prepared for it. She opened her red tome and chanted, a blazing bonfire burning atop the pages.

"Cymbeline!" a huge fiery meteor formed in the air and rocketed towards Camilla, landing just in front of Fae. It scorched Camilla to ash before she could reach the manakete. However, she wasn't fast enough to dodge a Deathly Dagger coming from Jaffar and the first one struck, hitting Sanaki in the chest and inflicting more damage via Poison Strike. While Sanaki was stunned, Jaffar threw another dagger, this one impaling Sanaki's stomach. The empress of Begnion collapsed like a tree and faded away. Luckily, since Sanaki took care of Camilla, Robin was free to run in and take down Roy and Jaffar, as they were both weak to his Blarraven+.

"I won't lose! I won't!" Roy slashed his Binding Blade onto Robin's arm, but Robin blocked it with his tome, the legendary blade somehow bouncing off of it. A Deathly Dagger came from Robin's side and struck his waist, but he held on despite the Poison Strike damage and sent a swarm of ravens going Jaffar's way. The ravens stopped Jaffar from doing a follow up attack and allowed Robin to focus on Roy. Meanwhile, Fae transformed into a mighty chicken dragon and took a deep breath. When the ravens flew away from Jaffar, Fae blasted a giant bolt of eye-searing light on the assassin, incinerating him on the spot. Robin parried Roy's Binding Blade with his Blarraven, then stepped back. A bright orange glow emitted from the tactician's body and he thrust out his hand.

"Bonfire!" Robin shouted as he unleashed a forceful stream of ravens from his palm. The ravens were coated in fire and slammed into Roy, taking down the swordsman in one go. After a word of "good game", I deposited 100 flags into the box. I had a feeling that Chrom vs Ephraim was going to be the most fierce match yet.

After the battle, me and Robin went on our usual routine. Eat lunch and then wait half an hour until the next fight. Robin bought up nearly every book in the general store to read and I was glad they were cheap because we were slowly running out of money. At night after dinner, I found Saria by the quest fountain, just staring into the empty space above us that was another dimension.

"Hey" I said before approaching her. Saria didn't even respond.

"Hey, Saria" I snapped my fingers in front of her face and she woke out of her trance, surprised to see me here.

"Oh, good evening Lucian. How are you?"

"I'm fine. What are you doing here by the quest fountain?" I asked, sitting next to her.

"Oh nothing much. Just looking into the sky" Saria gazed into the space above "It really looks different from a regular sky, with this town being in the center of all the Askr dimensions"

"Yeah, it looks beautiful" I joined her in watching the sky "Do… do you like being in Askr? Or are you homesick?"

"Is that even a question? I love Askr" Saria laughed a little "But I guess you're right. I DO miss my house and friends back at home, but I've met so much more here in Askr"

"Like who?"

"Two of my best friends I've made in Askr are Sully and Corrin. Both of them are such great women. Sully's headstrong, bold and determined to prove that women can be as strong as men, while Corrin's a pacifistic princess that wishes to resolve all conflicts without bloodshed"

"Is Corrin able to fight though? I've heard a lot of stories of similar people, but they ended up being forced to fight. Like Prince Marth from the Arachnea saga" I mentioned.

"Oh yes, she can fight!" Saria nodded "She's different from her twin brother, Corrin. Instead of wielding the legendary Yato blade, Corrinne can use a dragonstone to transform into a dragon!"

"Oh, so she's a Manakete?"

"Yes! When she attacks, she expels this huge cloud of darkness onto our enemies" Saria exclaimed excitedly "The darkness blinds our foes and limits their movement, which allows the rest of my team to finish them off"

"That's interesting. I might consider using someone like that later on my team" I smiled "Well, as for me, I'd say my closest heroes are Robin and Jeorge. Robin was my first 5 star hero and Jeorge's a cool guy to be around. I like archery, so I usually stay around him and watch him shoot. Occasionally I try out a bow as well"

"That sounds fun. I might try it when I go back to Askr" Saria gazed into the sky, then nodded "I have to go now. Good talk we had"

"Yeah it was" I got up as well "Goodnight Saria"

"See you Lucian"

As I headed back to the hotel, I took a look at the scoreboard. Ephraim and Chrom's score were extremely close, but Ephraim held the lead by a couple hundred million. He might be the one to advance to the final round. Meanwhile, Lucina absolutely annihilated Eirika, beating her out by 2 billion. There was no way Eirika could make a comeback before the final round started tomorrow. It didn't matter for me though.

I was only here for the rewards.

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 5:**

When I arose from my bed, I immediately went out to my balcony and try to spot the scoreboard in the distance. I squinted and saw that Ephraim was battling Lucina. However, Lucina dominated the match, already having several hundred thousand score over Ephraim. Were this many people fans of Lucina? I decided to ignore it and head out for breakfast first. Robin was still sleeping, another history book lying on his chest. "The Laguz-Beorc War" seemed to have fall asleep atop my tactician. While I was eating, Robin joined me soon after and we went to the arena.

"Well, that wraps up this battle" I said as I deposited 200 flags into the box. I figured that since it was the final battle, I may as well drop everything. Anna warned me beforehand that flags gained are only able to be used in the current gauntlet. The enemy team sulked back into the hallways that they came from, followed by their companion heroes. I noticed a Lucina, Fae and a Spring Xander among the enemy summoners.

"I could guess why they didn't act too angry at their loss" I heard Saria's voice behind me as she threw in 50 flags "Lucina's almost certain to win this battle unless Ephraim pulls off a miracle. Her supporters are just fighting for the feather rewards"

"True" I bit my lip, contemplating whether or not to do the same. Ephraim had no chance of winning against Lucina, so I may as well dump everything and get the highest score I could get

After the fight was done, me and Robin left the arena and ended up back in town. I joined Saria and Sully at lunch and so did Robin. Me and Saria talked about more general stuff, like how did she thinks of this town and Askr, who taught her drawing ex settera. After a while, Sully excused herself to go to the washroom and dragged Robin with her for some reason. I ignored it and continued my conversation with Saria.

"I hope I'm not the only person to notice this" Sully said with a light smile.

"What? Notice what?" Robin asked, genuinely confused.

"Gods, you're dense" Sully sighed "Master Saria and Lucian… they're in love"

"Well, Lucian has mentioned having love issues before. It's glad to hear he found his match" Robin remarked, glancing at us.

"He better be careful though" Sully cracked her knuckles "If he even lays a finger on Saria without her consent, he's going to meet my lance near his face"

"I'll be there to protect him then" Robin smiled lightly at the threat "Rest assured though, Lucian is a good person with a calm personality. I doubt he'll do intimate… gestures until they've confirmed their love for each other"

"Good then. It allows me to focus more on training" Sully replied "I'm Master Saria's bodyguard and a bodyguard has to train to protect better, right?"

"Of course" Robin fiddled with the edge of his coat "I think we've stayed out long enough. Both of them will get suspicious"

"I don't think Master Saria would think I took this long to get out of the bathroom" Sully agreed "Then let's go chump"

"Chump? Since when was I-"

"Nickname for most people. Don't take it seriously"

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 6:**

The final day of the Princes vs Princesses Voting Gauntlet was nigh. Ephraim was losing horribly to Lucina, the Ylissean princess overtaking the prince of Renais by several billion. There wasn't any way for Ephraim to make a comeback, so I threw in all my flags at once when I won a battle. I wasn't sure how high I was on the army rankings, but I guess I would know once I came back to Askr for the Hero Feathers. Me and Robin went on our usual routine and at night, I met with Saria again at the front entrance of the buffet.

"The gauntlet is almost finished" Saria remarked, staring at the arena in the center of town "Lucina's guaranteed to win"

"How is she so popular anyways? I mean… she isn't an obvious fanservice character like Camilla" I commented.

"Maybe they like her for her character arc and usefulness in battle?" Saria inferred "As far as I know, Lucina's the strongest wielder of the Falchion. Prince Chrom is the slow, heavy hitter and Prince Marth is the all rounder. Princess Lucina seems to be the quickest"

"Considering she follows in her father's footsteps, I'm surprised" I said "How about her striking power?"

"Nearly as powerful as Chrom himself" Saria replied "She's a terror on the battlefield. I faced her and if Sully didn't have a Sapphire Lance and Swordbreaker skills, Lucina would of easily slain her"

"Too bad I wasn't able to summon her on the Legendary Heroes postcard" I mused "Robin is great and all, but Lucina would of been a stronger fighter than Marth, if you're telling the truth"

"Yeah, Lucina's incredibly strong, both in popularity and on the battlefield" Saria said "I suppose Ephraim doesn't hold up in the popularity part"

"Sadly no" I looked at the ground "He isn't a female, therefore he's not popular"

Saria laughed at that "It's almost too true"

We sat in silence for a moment, then I reached into my coat pocket and revealed the paper pad and pen I always had

"Here, write down your full name" I said, handing her the paper pad "I want to register you on my friend's list once I get back to Askr"

"Well, you'll have to do the same for me" Saria ripped out another slip of paper and handed it to me "Full name please"

"You finish first. You have the pen"

Saria wrote her name in an elegant fashion, just as if she was drawing, then handed the pen to me. I wrote down my name rather messily. Handwriting wasn't my strong suit. I handed the paper back to Saria and she passed hers. She then held it up to close to her face to read it.

"Lucian Volvos"

I held up my slip the same way.

"Saria Williamsun"

Silence for a few seconds, then Saria broke the ice.

"So we know our full names now" she said slowly.

"Yeah, we do" I didn't know how to react. We just ran out of things to say. Luckily, a loud bell rung in the arena and everyone's heads turned. The bell ringing signified that the battle was over and the victor has been announced. Everyone left to the arena, even leaving behind their meals. I went with the crowd as well, with Saria following me to hear the victor. No surprise, Lucian won, dominating Ephraim by 11 billion points.

"Congratulations to Team Lucina for winning the Princes vs Princesses Voting Gauntlet!" an official-looking man declared in the arena lobby "To all who participated, you'll find a large quantity of Hero Feathers in your mailboxes tomorrow when you go back to Askr. For Team Lucina, they get an extra 500 feathers for their victory"

Cheers erupted from most of the people in the crowd, either that they won or simply congratulating the members of Team Lucina.

"And now, an announcement" the official raised his hand, making everyone go silent "The dimensional tunnels will be reopened tomorrow morning to take you back to Askr. Make sure not to forget anything in your hotel staterooms or else they'll be lost forever. The portal here will close itself once you reenter Askr, so double check that you didn't lose anything!"

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"And that's all" the official said "Enjoy the night in celebration of Team Lucina's win!"

Cheers erupted again and everyone left the arena lobby, a few staying to chat with friends. I went back to the stateroom with Robin to pack my things.

The next morning, I was ready to leave. I had everything I brought to this gauntlet back in my coat pockets or my carry-on bag. The bag was an extra actually, since Robin bought so many books from the general store that it was impossible to carry all of them. I met with Saria before I left and told her to keep in touch, before hopping into the dimensional tunnel back to Askr with Robin.

Finally, the first Voting Gauntlet was finished.

 **And the Princes vs Princesses Voting Gauntlet is done! Next up coming is the Navarre GHB along with the introduction to Skill Inheritance, perhaps the biggest change Heroes has ever gotten. As always, thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows. Until next time summoners!**


	21. Grand Hero Battle: Navarre

A Summoner's Journey

Grand Hero Battle: Navarre

 _Heroes for this chapter: Minerva, Caeda, Robin and Klein_

Two days after the Voting Gauntlet, a letter flew through the front entrance of the Askr lobby. Opening it up, I found an activation postcard for the new Grand Hero Battle against Navarre, also known as the Scarlet Sword. After a brief strategy meeting with my usual team of tacticians, I decided to grab Minerva, Caeda, Robin and Klein as my squad for the battle. Heading into the World of Mystery, postcard in hand, the crimson fencer of Archanea would be waiting for us.

Once we arrived, Navarre drew his Killing Edge+ and his troops stirred.

"So you've arrived. We've been waiting" Navarre got into stance, his katana arched over his head, both hands holding onto the long hilt.

"Navarre! Since when does a swordsman of your caliber fall in with thieves and cutthroats? Especially those of Embla!" Caeda exclaimed.

"What? You again? I hardly have time to fight for your army again" Navarre replied coldly.

"Please, Navarre. Why fight for nothing when you can fight for something?" Caeda pleaded "Leave this rabble. Lend your sword to our cause. Or, if you will not, then turn it on me now instead"

Navarre's sword wavered slightly "Normally I wouldn't turn my blade on a woman, but the contract of Embla… it has tight restrictions. Fight me and defeat me. Then we'll see about leading my sword to your army"

Caeda sighed "If that's what it takes, then we'll do it. Let's go everyone!"

"Alright everyone, stick to the strategy!" I commanded "Robin, head to the forest to the right of us and bait out the thieves and clerics. Take them out with your Blarraven tome"

"I have it covered!" Robin bounded off into the woods, drawing his magical tome.

"Caeda and Minerva, back up Robin" I said "The Axe Fighter over there might come after Robin with his Hammer, so I need you two to defend him if he comes by"

"Of course!" Caeda clasped her hands excitingly while Minerva simply nodded, her Hauteclere already ready in her hand. The two fliers flew off, hovering just slightly over Robin, who was in the trees.

"Klein, stay by me and shoot down anybody who comes down the main path" I instructed, pointing to a break in the trees where Navarre stood. A moment later and the sounds of battle begun. Robin cast a wall of ravens into the forest clearing where Navarre's troops were and pushed back a thief wielding a Rogue Dagger+. The thief retaliated with a swift dagger throw, but Robin hid behind a tree and the knife missed. Suddenly, Minerva came down from the skies and smashed her Hauteclere onto the thief, mauling him in one blow. The second thief turned and threw his Silver Dagger+ at the Macedon princess, but she threw her cape over the front of her body and a thin orange shield generated, currency of her skill, Sacred Cowl. The dagger bounced off effortlessly, but Navarre was heading towards Minerva, so she had to retreat.

"Wrong move!" Robin blasted Navarre with a flood of ravens, knocking him backwards, his body steaming. Navarre clutched his arm in obvious pain and gestured to the cleric next to him to heal him. The cleric rose her Recover staff and healed some of Navarre's injuries, but Caeda swooped down and stabbed the cleric in the back with her Armorslayer. Navarre completely ignored Caeda however and rushed into the woods, towards Robin. As he ran, his Killing Edge+ began glowing with hot green wind.

"Blazing Wind!" Navarre slashed at the tree Robin was hiding behind, unleashing a torrent of blazing hot heat all around him. Trees were sliced apart from the gale and Robin stumbled away from the attack, a couple cuts and burns peppered on his body. Navarre dashed up towards the tactician, intent on finishing him off, but Klein forced him back with a double shot of arrows. Robin recovered from the Blazing Wind attack and shot a deadly stream of ravens towards Navarre, dealing heavy damage.

"May peace with your gods!" Minerva suddenly crashed onto Navarre from above, cleaving him in half with her Hauteclere. The Axe Fighter dashed towards her and swung his Hammer over his head, but Minerva swerved out of the way and her dragon bashed his head onto the soldier, knocking him back.

"Please clear the way!" Caeda suddenly rocketed towards the Axe Fighter and stabbed him through the chest with her Armorslayer, making him dissolve into light. The Silver Dagger thief threw his knife and Caeda and it landed in her shoulder, forcing her to fly back. The thief pursued her, but two arrows suddenly sprouted from behind his chest, thanks to Klein.

"Such foolishness" Klein turned to the last cleric and nocked an arrow in his bow, the arrow being made of pure ice "Glacies!"

The cleric made a last ditch attempt to attack Klein by increasing the force of gravity on Klein, pinning the archer to the ground, but his arrow has already been shot. The Glacies arrow hit the cleric dead center onto her chest and she collapsed, fading into light.

"Call me Navarre" Navarre said without expression "I'm a mercenary, but I don't come cheap"

"So uhm… how much do I need to pay you?" I asked.

"We could work out the details when we go back" Caeda said "For now, you'll lend us your sword, right Navarre?"

"Hmph. I suppose so" Navarre pushed his long black hair away from his eyes "Here we are again, fighting in the same army"

"Yes, that's three times now" Caeda recalled "The War of Shadows, the War of Heroes and the war now in Askr"

"..." Navarre turned to me "Are we going now or what?"

I realized that I was staring at Caeda and Navarre while they talked and snapped out of my trance "Y-yeah, let's go home"

After Anna assigned Navarre a spot in the barracks, she came to me with a notice.

"This came while you were gone. I read it over and I think you should read it out loud to all your heroes" Anna advised.

"Why should everyone else know about it?" I asked, slowly peeling the letter open.

"The change affects them too and they should be mentally prepared for it" Anna said "Go up to the twin thrones of Askr. I'll gather everyone in the lobby"

A couple minutes later, all of my heroes gathered in the lobby. I stood overlooking them from the pavilion where the thrones of Askr were behind me. The afternoon sun shone through the giant window behind me, giving me a natural spotlight. I took a deep breath and opened the envelope, revealing the notice inside. In my youth, I had massive stage fright, scared to talk with large groups of people. I eventually overcame it in my late elementary school years though, so this was just another performance. In front of 50 heroes who all had more experience with death and despair more than I will ever have. I opened the notice and began to read in a calm, loud voice.

" **A new and important feature has been discovered in the world of Askr, called "Skill Inheritance". Every hero summoned has a base set of skills such as Lyn having Galeforce, Defiant Attack and Spur Speed. By having the original user of the skill teach another hero how to use it, the hero is able to learn that skill. For example, if a Lon'qu teaches a Takumi how to rely on his instincts to be aware of ambushes, he can always strike first in a fight. This skill is called Vantage. However, there is a catch. After the hero has inherited the skill from the original user, the original hero will vanish from the castle the next day and go back to the world they came from. If you plan to inherit skills onto your heroes, be careful as what you sacrifice cannot be brought back"**

I closed the letter and faced my heroes, eyeing all of them expectantly.

"So now that this feature is in place, we can make each other much more powerful" I said, pacing the floor "This can give us an edge in the war against Embla as heroes who don't see much use can contribute by teaching their skills to someone who fights on the frontlines much more often"

I pointed to Subaki in the far left "Subaki for example can teach Julia the skill Quick Riposte, as she's slow on her feet and can appreciate the ability to quickly cast Naga twice when someone attacks her"

I pointed to Abel in the center "Or you Abel can teach Chrom how to shatter swords with Swordbreaker. Then, he can easily defeat axe units AND sword units"

I retreated my hand back to my side and faced the crowd "My point is that everyone here can contribute to the strengthening of Askr's army through skill inheritance. Yes, I am aware of the sacrifice needed to do this and if you're having trouble with a certain hero leaving, please speak with me"

I paced towards the right side of the pavilion "Also, five star units like Robin and Seliph will not be able to teach anybody their skills. I strictly forbid it. Only our 4 and 3 star heroes can teach each other skills"

I moved to the center again "All in all, I am glad that this feature has been discovered because Embla's strength is going stronger by the day. They already have figured out this mechanic, as I fought a Minerva with Moonbow and an Eliwood with Iceberg. So if they can strengthen their army with skill inheritance, we can to. FOR ASKR!"

"FOR ASKR!" everyone cheered.

"I will decide what skills must be taught to who!" I declared "But for now, you may all rest. Army dismissed!"

 **And that's Navarre's Grand Hero Battle alongside the introduction of skill inheritance! Coming up next is the World of Shadows paralogue followed by the Wyvern Riders vs Pegasus Knights Voting Gauntlet. Perhaps Lucian will meet Saria again in the Voting Gauntlet world? As always, thank you for the kind reviews, favorites and follows. Until next time fellow summoners!**


	22. Paralogue 5: World of Shadows

A Summoner's Journey

Paralogue 5: World of Shadows

 _Team for this chapter: Minerva, Navarre, Robin and Jeorge_

"Hey Lucian!" Anna ran towards me as I went towards Feh to grab the mail "Urgent news!"

"What's the matter?" I asked. Anna looked frantic, like something terrible has happened.

"The Emblian army is invading another world: the World of Shadows! Or formerly called the World of Gaiden" Anna explained "It's home to a legendary hero, one as important as Marth himself: Saint King Alm the First"

The worry lines melted off my face "Oh finally. Something normal for a change"

Anna looked at me confused "What was that?"

"Nothing. Tell Minerva, Navarre, Robin and Jeorge to meet me in the lobby in twenty minutes"

"Uhm… alright"

Not too long later, we ended up in a forest outside a village. Two Emblian soldiers alongside a boy wearing green armor and a village girl with an unfamiliar bow were our enemies. Before I could formulate a strategy and send off my troops, Veronica suddenly warped into the battlefield beside the villager girl.

"Oh dearest Faye. You're getting better with the bow day after day" Veronica praised lightly, then presented a faint blue seal with a bow on it "But you could use help, so I'm granting you a skill that strengthens your use of the bow after defeating enemies. What a terror you'll be soon enough"

"What? Do you mean I'll get better with my bow faster?" Faye accepted a blue seal from Veronica's hands and stuck it to her vest "That'll help me fight off all of the nasty people you said are coming for Alm!"

"Yes, yes. As a matter of fact, those nasty people are here right now" Veronica nodded "Please put holes in each and every one of them. Good luck dear"

As Veronica warped away, the enemy team noticed us.

"You know, I really thought we could stop fighting after we defeated Duma" Alm sighed, drawing the legendary Falchion from his scabbard "But the world, unpredictable as it is, decides not. Leave this fight to me everyone!"

"No way Alm! I'm going to help you!" Faye cried out "We may not have Gray, Tobin, Kliff or Celica, but us two can clear out these people and save Ram Village. Let's go!"

"Right. I'm counting you to have my back Faye" Alm smiled, then readied himself "To battle!"

Alm and his Emblian Axe Fighter escort charged towards our group, their weapons in hand. Alm had the legendary Falchion sword, although this version looked strangely different from the one Marth and Chrom had. I knew because I fought a 5 star Chrom and Marth in the training tower once. The Emblian Axe Fighter had a standard Silver Axe+.

"Robin and Navarre! Intercept Alm and the Axe Fighter! Minerva and Jeorge, keep Faye and the Sword Fighter busy" I commanded and my heroes charged towards the enemy. Robin blasted a wall of ravens towards Alm and knocked him hard into a tree. I recently summoned two Roys, so I decided to try the skill inheritance thing out and sacrificed one of the Roys to give Robin Triangle Adept. The skill fit Robin like a glove. The Axe Fighter swung his axe over his head towards Robin, but the tactician dodged and pushed the soldier back with a kick to the side. Navarre followed up with a swift dual strike with his katana, taking the Axe Fighter down. Alm charged again and slashed Robin in the arm with his Falchion. Triangle Adept lessened the damage and Robin stepped back, attempting to cast Blarraven+, but a swift blast of wind knocked the spell right out of his hand.

"What in the world…?" Robin recast the spell and it worked like usual. He prepared to throw, but Alm attacked again and the spell broke. The same blast of wind knocked Robin out of focus.

"Navarre! Cover me!" Robin called and the mercenary stepped in front of Alm, his Killing Edge clashing with Alm's Falchion. While Robin prepared to cast Blarraven, I stared at Alm, bringing up his stat screen. In his B skill slot was a new skill called Windsweep.

"If the user is faster than the opponent, the foe will not be able to counterattack" I read aloud "That was the wind that disrupted Robin's attack!"

"Fine by me" Robin grinned as a faint blue glow appeared in his hand "I'm not counterattacking. I'm the one initiating. Blarraven!"

A wall of spiritual ravens burst from the ground and smacked Alm right in the face. He stumbled for a moment, then collapsed backwards onto the ground and faded away. Meanwhile, Minerva was doing her usual hit-and-run tactics with her wyvern. Stay high in the air while Jeorge distracts Faye, then crash down like a nuclear bomb. The Sword Fighter landed a glancing blow with his Killing Edge+, but Minerva's wyvern was well suited to take physical blows. Jeorge shot an arrow from his Silver Bow that ended up in the Sword Fighter's chest. Minerva took advantage of the soldier's stun to smash her Hauteclere onto the Emblian's head, splitting it in half.

"Well…" I spread my hands "That's that. Let's move into the forest"

It wasn't long before we found out second group of enemies in a forest that split two ways: north and west. An Emblian Axe Fighter and thief were stationed here alongside a plain-looking soldier wearing red armor and had short red hair. In his hand was a Killer Lance+. The other was a blonde pegasus knight wearing a blue tunic and black leggings. In her hand was a Silver Lance+. Suddenly, I heard voices. One familiar, the other unfamiliar.

"Why, it's simply laughable" the blonde pegasus knight named Clair scoffed "Me serving you? You're but a little girl"

"Now, now Clair. I possess you by contract" Veronica's hand formed into a fist at Clair's jab at Veronica being a little girl "Try to defy me and you'll know what will happen. Now get to it and oust the Askrians out of Zofia"

Veronica warped away again and the battle begun. The thief and axe fighter charged first, so I sent Navarre to deal with the axe fighter and Robin to fight the thief.

"Care to test me?" Navarre's sword pulsed with blazing hot heat "Blazing Wind"

Navarre swung his sword onto the axe fighter's shoulder, unleashing the superheated air from his sword. The resulting burst of wind sliced the axe fighter into pieces and cut down a tree, revealing the thief in the process. He too was injured by Navarre's Blazing Wind, allowing Robin to easily finish him off. The other two, Lukas and Clair began to make their move. Figuring that Lukas was weak to magic like most melee units, I told Robin to stay in the northern path and deal with Lukas while I had Jeorge deal with Clair, as she was a flier. Clair rocketed down onto Jeorge with her Silver Lance and nearly impaled him, but the sniper quickly stepped away and nocked an arrow. However, Clair yanked her lance upwards out of the ground, slashing Jeorge in the face. Luckily, Minerva was just nearby and dealt with Clair while Jeorge recovered from the attack.

"Minerva move! I got a clear shot!" Jeorge called and the wyvern rider flew into the air, exposing the weakened Clair. Jeorge let his arrow loose and shot down the pegasus knight in one fell swoop. Meanwhile, Robin let loose his magic against Lukas. Just as he thought, Lukas was incredibly weak to magic, getting pushed back several feat by one simple Blarraven blast. Robin took the chance to fire again, but Lukas generated a thin shield via Sacred Cowl and weakened the magic, allowing him to survive. Sadly, Robin quickly recast Blarraven again and took the soldier out. Rather simple fight.

Finally, we ended up in a valley surrounded by mountains. A lone abandoned fort laid in the middle while trees grew around the valley. Our enemy squad was Alm, Faye, Lukas and Clair.

"Huh, to think we'll have to fall back here" Alm remarked, taking in the landscape "It brings back memories"

"Really? Which one?" Faye asked.

"That one Zofian mercenary we had to fight" Alm reminisced "He was not like the other bandits. He was trained and had a leather shield. If it wasn't for Kliff's magic, we probably wouldn't have been able to kill him"

"Oh, I remember" Lukas smiled lightly "Gray joked after the battle about him. He called him the "super saiyan mercenary" or "3-13 mercenary". I still don't know what he meant till this day"

"Neither do I" Alm laughed "Gray's jokes CAN be subtle sometimes"

Faye was about to respond when Veronica warped right behind them, startling them.

"Princess Veronica. What is it?" Clair asked.

"All I'm asking you is to fight your best" Veronica said simply "The Askrians are just beyond this mountain. Just one more battle. Win or lose and you'll still be free of your contract"

"Alright then Princess Veronica" Alm drew his Falchion "We'll give it our all"

"Good" Veronica's face tightened and she warped away in a flash of yellow light.

"Lukas, take to the front line and defend Faye while she shoots arrows. Clair, fly over the mountains and pick off the enemy by surprise" Alm commanded and they obeyed. Lukas and Faye charged down the valley's main path, right into Robin's Blarraven.

"Hello again" Robin glowered darkly "And goodbye again"

Robin willed a strong wall of ravens to burst from the ground, pounding Lukas and Faye hard. Lukas's Sacred Cowl activated and managed to shield them both from the damage. Just barely. Suddenly, I heard flapping of a pegasus in the distance. I cocked my ear and heard the flapping just above us. I glanced into the sky and saw the gleam of silver poised right over Robin's head.

"Minerva! Intercept Clair in the sky!" I called and the princess of Macedon shot into the air, her Hauteclere colliding with Clair's Silver Lance.

"This will be painless" Jeorge concentrated, then nocked his arrow tightly into his bow. This arrow was literally an arrow made of molten hot fire. He fired straight towards Clair, calling out "Blazing Flame!"

Meanwhile in the sky, Minerva's wyvern squawked, alerting Minerva to something coming from below. Minerva knocked back Clair with her axe, then glanced below her. An arrow made of pure fire was flying up towards her! Minerva steered her wyvern away and let the arrow hit Clair. When it stuck Clair's pegasus, it erupted in a vertical line of blazing fire, burning Clair to ashes. Robin and Navarre were just wrapping up the others back on the ground. Robin floored Lukas with magic and Navarre cut Faye down in two hits. But Navarre unfortunately went down to Alm's Draconic Aura.

"Here's how it's done!" Robin easily defeated Alm with a Triangle Adept-boosted Blarraven alongside Ignis, which he inherited from a spare Henry I summoned. The air seemed calmer and less tense. The atmosphere seemed a little more clear. I guess that signified that we successfully liberated the World of Shadows.

"Well everyone, that was a job well done" I smiled at all of them "Let's head back to Askr"

Before we could leave, Alm reappeared in a flash of light without his Falchion.

"I'm still rather confused that you broke our contract just by being stronger than us" Alm sheepishly rubbed the back of his head "But thank you anyways. Now I can head back to Ram Village and visit my old neighbors before ascending the throne of Valentia. If we ever cross paths again, or with my friend Celica, I hope you can join us"

"Thank you for the offer King Alm" I nodded politely and escorted my heroes back to the portal to Askr at Ram Village's entrance.

"Ah, do you mind removing that portal once you've returned to your world?" Alm requested "I think the villagers would be spooked of it being right in front of the village gates so…"

"Sure, I'll close it once we get back" I smiled "If we ever come back here, just hope that the portal reappears away from the village"

"Life never had any guarantees" Alm smiled lightly "But anyway, farewell. I hope we can see eachother again"

"You too" I said before stepping into the portal to Askr. As I landed in the courtyard along with my heroes, I did as Alm requested and closed the gate into the World of Shadows with the Breidablik. The last time I did it was back in the World of Mystery, when we first liberated it several months ago. I remember running out of the portal for dear life as Odin was slashed to bits by Veronica's cavalry. The blood and gore that rained from the air still lingered in my head occasionally, but I couldn't let it waver me. I was the summoner and tactician of entire army. Blood and gore should be the first thing I'm used to. I headed back into Askr castle, dismissed my heroes to their barracks, reported to Anna that the World of Shadows was liberated and gathers my orbs from the quest fountain. Just as I was about to head into my quarters, a letter flew into the lobby. Anna picked it up and opened it, handing the postcard to me. The postcard was a summoning banner for the heroes I just fought: Alm, Faye, Clair and Lukas. Before I could decide whether or not to summon on the banner, I heard a familiar rough voice from the front entrance.

"Hey you. You're Lucian right? Saria's friend?" I turned and saw Sully at the entrance, on her horse with a letter in hand "Master Saria asked me to deliver this to you"

"Thank you. Give Saria my regards when you go back" I was too tired to ask how Sully even got into my Askr in the first place given that it was a different dimension, but I'll ask Anna later. I took my orbs and Saria's letter into my quarters and closed myself off. I deposited my orbs into my orb chest and sat down on my desk, opening Saria's letter. Her handwriting was somewhat scrawny, but it made sense considering she doodles a lot and was an adept artist. She was used to twisting her hands around a lot.

 **Hey there Lucian! How've you been? I just recently liberated the World of Shadows with the help of Corrin, Sully, Eirika and Camilla. And when I summoned on the World of Shadows postcard, I got Alm on my first try! Lucky huh? I'm looking to get Lukas, Clair and Faye onto my roster too. They all seem like nice people. Anyway, I heard that the Wyvern Riders vs Pegasus Knights Voting Gauntlet is coming up soon, so maybe I can see you there again? If you want to know, I'll planning to be on Team Camilla. Hope you write me back and I'm sorry for the messy writing! You know I like to draw more than write. Anyway, see you at the Voting Gauntlet!**

 **Sincerely, Saria Williamsun**

Another Voting Gauntlet. Another freaking Voting Gauntlet. It wasn't even a month yet and another one's here. I sighed and drew a paper and my ink set. I began to write my reply to Saria. Anna's going to need to tell me how to send my heroes across dimensions to deliver the letter.

 **Here comes World of Shadows with the release of Fire Emblem Echoes in the real world. Truth be told, this banner was a terrible way to promote Echoes because World of Shadows might as well be one of the worst banners in all of Heroes. Alm is probably the worst Falchion lord due to his too-balanced stats, Faye is a mediocre archer and Clair is a lance Caeda. The only one who's worth it is Lukas and you could get cockblocked by Clair. Oops, I rambled on too much. Anyway, next up is the Wyvern Riders vs Pegasus Knights Voting Gauntlet followed by the Grand Hero Battle against Zephiel. Until next time fellow summoners!**


	23. VG: Pegasus Knights vs Wyvern Riders

A Summoner's Journey

Voting Gauntlet: Wyvern Riders vs Pegasus Knights

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 1:**

Simply put, Voting Gauntlets were boring. The battles in the arena were fun and all, but it didn't seem all that thrilling to me unless one of my favourite characters in Fire Emblem was in the gauntlet. Sadly, that didn't happen for this gauntlet. The gauntlet was Wyvern Riders vs Pegasus Knights, with Camilla, Cherche, Beruka and Minerva representing the wyvern riders and Subaki, Hinoka, Palla and Cordelia being the pegasus knights. Saria mentioned that you get bonus points if you deploy your unit in the same army you're in, so I decided to bring along Minerva for the six day gauntlet. I signed on to Team Minerva and checked into our hotel room.

Waiting for the gauntlet to actually start, I sat down on my bed and opened a book that I grabbed from the library before heading out here.

"So Minerva…" I glanced over to the wyvern rider sitting on a chair next to a table in the corner. She was fidgeting with her armor and looked uncomfortable with her wyvern being taken cared of by the stable owners "You alright?"

"I suppose I am" Minerva let out a breath and relaxed herself "If you asking why I'm tense is because me and Michalis had another fight before we left Askr"

I raised an eyebrow "What happened?"

"Nothing. We were just arguing about how to properly handle an axe technique" Minerva touched the handle of her Hauteclere that was lying on the table "It got out of hand and we started hurling insults at each other. Seliph had to break us up and he nearly got his head split by Michalis"

"Ouch. Does Maria know about this?" I noted that Minerva and Michalis only seemed calm together when Maria was between them "I mean, I know that she's aware of your sibling… rivalry, but you should know that Maria only wants you two to make up"

"I know she does" Minerva sighed, resting her elbow on the table "Maria's an angel, able to calm the heart of even someone like Michalis. However, it's hard to convince her that it's a hopeless cause"

"Hopeless? You mean…"

"Yes. Me and Michalis are set on not making up. We're too different, envisioning Macedon's future in vastly different ways" Minerva drummed her fingers on the table "Maria is the bridge between us to interact lightly, but without her, we're as hostile to each other as enemies on a

battlefield"

"That's… awful" I remembered Seliph supporting Julia when she made it into Askr. Seliph told me that Julia is a shy girl and didn't take to new routines very well, so he humbly asked me to not shoulder her with too much work. I granted his wish instantly, seeing how much Seliph worked so hard to support his half sister in crisis, both at Askr and on the battlefield. Siblings should exchange hugs and kisses, not blows.

"Me and Michalis chose our paths to follow. Both paths are filled with thorns and brambles, but the shining light at the end is Maria's happiness" Minerva wrapped her hand around the Hauteclere and lifted it up "Anyway, that's enough for now. The gauntlet should be starting now"

"Right. We should head to the stables to grab your wyvern" I nodded, setting down my book. I left the stateroom with Minerva and headed to the stables.

We were up against Team Palla for the first round. The enemy team on the other side of the arena was a Takumi, Barst and Spring Xander. On my side was a Est and Cecilia. Not exactly great companions.

"What skills did you inherit into your Cecilia?" I asked the girl who summoned her.

The girl held up her hand with five fingers stretched out "Reposition, Moonbow, Triangle Adept, Bowbreaker and Hone Cavalry"

I stared at her, impressed. This Cecilia could absolutely rend the enemy team to shreds besides Barst.

"Oh… wow. That's really good" I stared at Cecilia in awe "Okay, just quickly take out Takumi and Spring Xander, but ignore Barst. Minerva can handle him"

"What about Est?" the girl pointed at the boy beside me to the right, his Est ready to go into combat.

"Uhm…" I had no idea how Est could contribute to the fight. Est wasn't very good in the first place.

The girl smiled thinly "Bait?"

I smiled back deviously "Bait"

"Hey you!" I called to the Est guy "What skills do you have inherited onto her?"

"Inherited skills? What's that?" the guy asked and I blanched. This guy didn't even know skill inheritance existed yet. I brought up his Est's stat screen quickly and found out that she only had a Heavy Spear, Shove, Defiant Resistance 2 and Seal Speed 1. His Est was barely built at all.

"Okay. I'd like you to have Est head to the front lines and act as bait for the enemy team. Once they catch up, retreat and let Minerva and Cecilia handle the rest" I said.

"And why should I listen to you?" the boy glared "You're not the boss of me!"

I facepalmed, both mentally and physically "Look, I'm just trying to come up with a strategy that will end with our victory. Cooperate or strike on your own. Your choice"

I left the boy alone before the match begun. Takumi rushed first, intent on striking down Minerva with his arrow. Before the arrow from his Fujin Yumi could reach Minerva however, a wall of green ravens burst from the ground and blocked the shot.

"Keep your distance or perish!" Cecilia shouted and a flood of ravens shot from her Gronnraven+ towards Takumi. The ravens swarmed Takumi and forced him back, bleeding cuts all over his body. Takumi managed another shot to the mage knight, but Cecilia simply raised her tome and blocked the hit.

"You poor fool…" while Takumi was distracted by Cecilia, Minerva rocketed forward with her wyvern and cut Takumi in half by the waist with her Hauteclere. Spring Xander stabbed his Carrot Lance+ downwards onto Minerva, but she deflected it with her axe. Barst landed two hits with his Brave Axe, but due to the weapon's weak nature, it didn't do too much to Minerva. Before Minerva could retaliate at Barst, Est suddenly swooped in and attacked Spring Xander. Xander deflected the blow with his lance and reared back, his Carrot Lance+ transforming into a spear of pure fire.

"A spring in my step!" Xander spun his flaming lance around as fire wreathed over his body. He galloped forward and brutally stabbed Est in the chest with Ignis, incinerating her to ash. The recoil of Ignis however gave Minerva the chance to swoop in and take down Xander. One strike to the chest was all that she needed. Meanwhile, Cecilia took down Barst with hit & run tactics, casting Gronnraven+ before galloping away on her horse. With the battle over, I deposited 10 battle flags into the box and left the arena.

The rest of the day was as usual. Rest, eat, battle and talk with Minerva or Saria. Like I said at the beginning, Voting Gauntlets were boring.

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 2:**

"What were you planning to do once the war was over in your world?" I asked Minerva as we headed towards the arena to do a battle.

"Hand the throne of Macedon to Marth and work in a monastery owned by two of my companions, Julian and Lena. Maria wants to work there too" Minerva said "To put it bluntly, I'm not fit to sit on the throne. Michalis rules much better than I"

I looked at her dumbfounded. Minerva seemed to be a woman with an air of authority and had a strong commanding presence. She would make a great leader, at least better than some of the presidents in my world. The United States was seriously screwed.

"I'm sure you could handle it" I said reassuringly, but Minerva shook her head.

"I already know that I can't handle ruling a country" the wyvern rider replied "After the War of Shadows, I ascended the throne of Macedon and exiled all the oppressive generals as well as the army's soldiers"

"Why did you do that?" I asked, intrigued.

"I wanted to make Macedon a peaceful place and having everyone as an equal citizen would ensure that" Minerva slumped "But that didn't work. Soldiers and generals lost jobs when I broke mup the Macedonian army and began to sink into poverty. The exiled generals and soldiers organized a coup and caught me off guard"

"What happened next?"

"I was captured in my own castle and humiliated for my pathetic rule in front of my own countrymen" Minerva covered her face with her hand to try and stop the tears "My Whitewings escaped and managed to meet up with Prince Marth's army outside of Macedon. They fought hard to liberate Macedon and they succeeded"

"I see" I could tell that Minerva's self esteem was very low and she didn't think very highly of herself. I wanted to ask more, but we've reached the arena already. We went in and did a battle, with a Lon'qu and Reinhardt as our allies. Our foes were a Palla, Female Robin and Gordin. I let Minerva handle Robinne, but Gordin caught her from behind and shot the wyvern rider down. Fortunately, Reinhardt quickly paid him back with a double strike of Dire Thunder. Lon'qu easily struck down Palla, evading her Ruby Sword with ease and slashing her apart with his Killing Edge. After the fight, I deposited 10 flags and headed back to my hotel room, where Minerva should of respawned.

"You see, before Marth's army could defeat the leader of the Macedon rebels, Rucke, Michalis came to the castle and rescued me" Minerva continued

"Michalis?! I thought… didn't you kill him during the War of Shadows?" I asked, flabbergasted.

"Yes, I did" Minerva shook her head "But Maria sneaked out of camp after the battle and healed Michalis's broken body in a Macedon chapel. Seeing his youngest sister tending to him must of… rekindled a sort of fire in him"

"So that's why he rescued you from the rebels" I said "He wanted to make up with his siblings after Maria healed him"

"No, it wasn't just for that" Minerva replied "After the War of Shadows, clerics began mysteriously disappearing all across Archanea. It wasn't until Maria disappeared from my sight entirely"

"So Michalis was trying to save Maria because she healed him back to life before" I continued "But why did he rescue you?"

"He told me that trouble was brewing on the horizon and the Shadow Dragon Medeus may return" Minerva said "Michalis dropped me off in Khadein desert, which was where Marth escaped after being pursued by Archanea's elite warriors"

"And after that, you joined Marth's army to defeat Archanea" I rolled my hand forward "But what happened to Michalis and Maria?"

"I found Michalis horribly injured in a village in the Wyvern's Dale" the wyvern rider explained "He told me that he battled the sorcerer Gharnef over the tome Starlight. Michalis was my hero. The being I always strived to be. If Gharnef could kill Michalis, then what chance did I, did anyone have against him?"

"Did… did Michalis die?"

"No, he didn't. As I laid, crying uselessly over his body, he stirred and said that it was a long time since he last saw me cry" Minerva sniffed, then steadied herself "He said that he couldn't leave me alone with that "pathetic excuse of an army". A healer managed to get to him and heal his injuries. Michalis then joined us"

"So that's why" I finally understood. Michalis was the paragon of what Minerva wanted to be. Based on her words, Minerva thought of Michalis as a stronger warrior, a better ruler and a better commander on the battlefield. Minerva had a sickening case of middle-child syndrome, where she tries all she can to escape her brother's shadow and due to that, she can't accept praise.

"What did Michalis do after you defeated Medeus?" I asked.

"I don't know. He didn't return to Macedon to take the throne. The last time I saw him, he said "I have no right to speak to Maria nor afflict myself with Macedon after all my actions. Farewell Minerva"" Minerva sighed "Michalis just disappeared and I miss him"

"You miss him, yet you can't reconcile with him even now" I said, putting a hand on Minerva's shoulder "I'm sorry. Everything must be so hard on you"

"Even then, I can't waver" Minerva replied, lightly pushing my hand off her shoulder "Though I am unfit to do it, I have to remain strong for Maria's sake. And I dearly hope that me, Michalis and Maria can become family again"

"With time, it'll happen" I nodded, earning me a small smile from the wyvern rider "Looks like another half hour passed. We should head back to the arena"

"Right and Lucian…" Minerva's smile grew slightly wider "Thank you"

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 3:**

The first round of the gauntlet was finished, with Minerva easily trumping over Palla in score. As for the other battles, Subaki defeated Beruka, Cordelia won over Cherche and Camilla absolutely destroyed Hinoka, beating the Hoshidan by 5 billion.

"Either there are a lot of Camilla fans or the fans are extremely devoted" Saria said next to me as I gazed up the scoreboard.

"Wouldn't you know? You are in Team Camilla after all" I replied.

"I guess I should. I saw several of my teammates dropping in 100 or 200 flags in our battles against Hinoka" Saria shrugged "I also never saw the same person twice as my teammate, so maybe there's a lot of people in Team Camilla too"

"The battle isn't going to be easy for whoever fights her" I said "Who are you up against next?"

"Team Cordelia. I think she has just as many members as Team Camilla" Saria observed "Well, I have to get to a gauntlet battle. See you around Lucian!"

Saria went into the arena, waving goodbye to me while her Camilla flashed me a wink, then followed her master in. Minerva joined beside me in the lobby shortly after with her wyvern.

"So we're up against Team Subaki next" I said, my eyes darting to the small group of summoners in Team Subaki "I don't recall Subaki being very popular, so this fight shouldn't be too hard to win"

"Nevertheless, we should be vigilant" Minerva advised "Team Subaki could pull a Camilla on us"

"I think Team Subaki has a tenth of Camilla's fanbase" I laughed "Shouldn't be too tough. Come on, the battle's starting"

Fighting alongside us were a Jeorge and Lyn, while our foes from Team Subaki was a Beruka, Hector and Saizo. I sent Minerva to take on Beruka and Saizo, while Lyn made her way to Hector. Jeorge stood behind and assisted Minerva. Minerva slammed into Beruka, locking axes with the wyvern rider. Saizo threw his Smoke Dagger at Minerva and covered the battlefield in a thick smoke, allowing Beruka to come in and slam her Killer Axe onto Minerva's chest. Minerva swung her Hauteclere in a wide arc and caught Beruka in the shoulder, pushing her back. An arrow from Jeorge's Parthia finished off the enemy wyvern rider.

"Saizo the Fifth strikes!" a crescent moon blazed in the air and Saizo threw his Smoke Dagger, gleaming with the defense-piercing Luna. Somehow though, Minerva swung her axe upwards, sending the dagger flying in the sky. The wyvern rider rocketed forward and threw her axe in the air, catching it by the handle.

"I will end this swiftly!" Minerva slammed her Hauteclere onto Saizo, slicing him in half with the power of Moonbow. Lyn was dueling with Hector, but Hector's axe suddenly flared up in flames.

"Gutsy, aren't you?" Hector slashed his Armads in a wide arc, knocking Lyn to ground, then slammed his Bonfire-powered axe into the swordswomen's chest, taking her out in a single hit. Jeorge shot an arrow at Hector, but Hector retaliated with Distant Counter, nearly taking Jeorge's head off with his axe. Minerva caught Hector off guard and swung her Hauteclere onto his chest, breaking parts of his chestplate and knocking him back. Hector retaliated with a swing over his head, but Minerva evaded it and attacked again before retreating. Unlike with Lyn, Hector didn't retaliate twice with his Armads.

"Was it some sort of skill that killed Lyn…?" I checked Hector's stat screen and tapped on the Armads. The legendary weapon had the Quick Riposte 2 skill built into it. Fortunately, Lyn and Minerva's attacks broke Hector's Quick Riposte, allowing Minerva to easily use her hit-and-run technique. Jeorge kept firing at Hector from a distance, but Hector's Distant Counter made it hard for Jeorge to continue his offense. Luckily, Hector retaliating with Distant Counter opened up his guard for Minerva to sky-slam him with Moonbow, taking the Ostian general down. I threw 100 flags into the box, then left the arena.

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 5:**

Nothing interesting happened yesterday. Minerva easily defeated Subaki while Camilla annihilated Cordelia. Now it was the final battle between the princess of Nohr and the princess of Macedon.

"Well, this doesn't look good…" I muttered as I stared at the scoreboard, noticing that Camilla destroyed Cordelia by eight billion points. If things continue as the do, Camilla would put Minerva into the ground.

"Well, well, looks like we finally against each other" Saria said beside me as her Camilla fixed up Saria's hair.

"Yep and looking at the past battles with Camilla, she's going to dominate this match" I sighed.

"Don't feel too bad Lucian. Camilla's… she's a popular character" Saria glanced at her companion next to her, busy braiding Saria's black hair "For two reasons"

"Two reasons as in…" I eyes went wide when I realized it "Oh"

Saria giggled "I think a lot of guys are… seduced by her looks. That explains why so many boys are on Team Camilla"

"Honestly, I don't see how" I muttered under my breath, so Camilla wouldn't hear "Her clothes are revealing to the point of being near… slutty. How does she fight with so much skin showing?"

"Heck if I know" Saria shook her head "Case in point, the reason that Camilla has such a large fanbase is her appearance alone. Combat performance? To hell with it"

"So inevitably, Minerva's going to lose to a pair of tits" I grumbled and Saria blushed "Just great"

"Just keep the mindset that you're here for the rewards and you'll be fine" Saria affectionately patted me on the head "I'm going to go in and do a battle. See you later!"

Not too long later, I went into the arena as well. The members of Team Camilla were easy to defeat, but their sheer numbers allowed them to dominate the battle, no matter how many flags I chucked down the box. I threw in everything that I've gained and yet still, the members of Team Camilla could battle more times than Team Minerva could, meaning that they constantly had the score advantage. After dinner, I slumped down in my bed, my mind muddled by the constant fighting.

"I'm just doing this for the rewards. Not because I want Minerva to feel good for once…" I murmured before falling into a deep slumber.

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 6:**

At last, the final day was upon us and Team Minerva's fate was sealed. Currently, Team Camilla was beating Team Minerva by at least 14 billion right now. There was absolutely nothing Team Minerva could do to win. All the members now just fought to attain a higher score and reap in more feathers. I figured I had to fix Minerva's self esteem issues later and just fought for the rewards. Finally at midnight, the gauntlet was over and Camilla was crowded as the winner of the Pegasus Knights vs Wyvern Riders Voting Gauntlet. I promised to write to Saria once I got back to Askr and I told her I was slightly disappointed that I wasn't able to fight her in the arena.

"Well, perhaps next time we could" Saria shrugged "But let's keep the fighting lighthearted. At least between us"

"What, you think of me as vicious when I'm out there commanding?" I joked and Saria laughed.

"I wouldn't think so" Saria smiled brightly "Anyway, be sure to write me sooner or later. We won't know when the next gauntlet is coming"

"Yeah, I'll make sure" I nodded "See you next time Saria"

"Goodbye Lucian" the summoner waved and went into the dimensional tunnel with Camilla, sending her back to her Askr. It was time I took my leave too. I could only hope that trouble didn't brew among my heroes again. The feud between Minerva and Michalis could only be the start of grudges between heroes.

 **And so, the Pegasus Knights vs Wyvern Riders Voting Gauntlet is finished. I might start using the voting gauntlet chapters to develop Lucian's bond with his heroes and also learn more about them. Also, the "start of grudges between heroes" is foreshadowing for when the World of Holy War banner comes and Arvis is summoned into Askr. But that's sadly a while from now, so I only ask you guys to be patient. Next up is Zephiel's Grand Hero Battle. Until next time fellow summoners!**


	24. Grand Hero Battle: Zephiel

A Summoner's Journey

Grand Hero Battle: Zephiel

 _Team for this chapter: Nino, Olivia, Robin and Minerva_

Zephiel

One of the strongest warriors fought during the "Grand Hero Battle: Emblians" as Odin called it. Now we were able to face him and recruit him into our ranks. Unlike the other Grand Hero Battles before this, I had to make sure that the plan would succeed. Looking over the battle layout on the back of the postcard, I noticed that the enemies were positioned in a such a way that if you enter their sight, you'll be greeted by two attacks. That meant I had to have a unit capable of deflecting physical and magical attacks. Sadly, nobody in my army could do that. I decided that going full offense was the only option. The knights and Zephiel were clearly the biggest problems, so I chose Robin and Nino to be my mages. Jeorge suggested Olivia for dance support, as when she did a dance for Jeorge earlier in the morning, he suddenly felt newly invigorated and energetic.

"I think Olivia will really help you out in this fight" Jeorge said "Robin and Nino are going to get tired quickly, casting their spells. Olivia can help pull them out of enemy range by restoring their energy"

I had no idea how it worked, but I decided to take Jeorge's word for it. I didn't watch Olivia dance in full yet, so I had no first-hand experience of this "energy restoration" effect. I recently inherited the assist skill Reposition onto Minerva from a stray 3 star Barst, so I brought her along to help pull my mages out of enemy fire. After allowing my heroes a quick rest from their morning activities, me and my team set out into the World of Binding at noon.

We landed in Castle Bern's throne room, where Zephiel was on his throne, an Axe Knight and Lance Knight duo guarding him. A blue mage and a red mage stood on the side.

Zephiel rose from his throne, then spoke in a rough, yet commanding voice "I am Zephiel, king of Bern…"

The king of Bern slammed his tall scepter onto the ground and it mechanically morphed into a giant blade glowing with yellow light. Zephiel swung the massive sword like it was a stick and got into battle stance "... I hope you aren't one of those types who spout nonsense about hope for humanity"

None of my heroes replied to Zephiel, including me. They just got into formation like we planned and prepared to fight.

"Hmph, so you planned on how to take on this battle? Very well" Zephiel's grip on his legendary sword, Eckesachs steeled "Knights of Bern! Intercept the enemy and protect the throne! Bern mages, stand behind the knights and pound the intruders with magic!"

The Bern troops got into formation like they've been training their whole life for this. I made my first move.

"Nino! Attack the Axe Knight!" I called and the mage scrambled towards the knight, preparing to cast Gronnblade. Olivia's Hone Attack C skill seemed to have made Nino's magic much more powerful.

"Gronnblade!" Nino fired down a storm of magical swords from the ceiling and pounded the axe knight with strong wind magic. When the dust settled, the Axe Knight was somehow several feet away from his original position, forcing Nino to move closer to continue her attack. But the Lance Knight and especially Zephiel were close by, so Nino had to withdraw. The blue mage launched a bolt of Thoron+ at the retreating Nino, but the green mage took the hit easily and countered with a hailstorm of Gronnblade. Once the blade hit the floor, it exploded, sending the blue mage sailing towards the wall. Nino willed another Gronnblade to appear and fired it at the mage, pinning him on the wall. But while this was happening, the knights got uncomfortably close to us, with Zephiel standing in the back, waiting for his knights to weaken us down for him to finish.

"Blarraven!" Robin cast his spell onto the Lance Knight, being able to counter Wary Fighter with Lancebreaker from an extra Narcian I had. The spiritual ravens bombarded the Lance Knight backwards and Robin unleashed another stream, crippling the knight. The red mage spoke a incarnation and the ground rumbled, a fiery explosion erupting under Robin's feet. Triangle Adept and Robin's thunder magic advantage lessened the damage from Bolganone significantly, but Robin still gritted his teeth from the lava's heat. He countered with a swift blast of Blarraven, blasting the mage backwards, but Robin wasn't fast enough to make a follow up attack. Meanwhile, the knights continued to move closer to us, reaching within striking distance of their weapons. Nino avoided the Axe Knight's first Brave Axe strike, but got hit by the second, knocking her to the ground.

"Nino!" I yelled as the knight's Brave Axe went straight for Nino's head, but Olivia came to the rescue, blocking the axe with her Silver Sword.

"Can't… hold… much... " Olivia gasped, trying to push back the knight's axe. Luckily, Minerva charged in to help, slamming her Hauteclere hard onto the knight's head and body. One particular swing of her weapon knocked the Axe Knight away from Olivia and Nino, allowing Minerva to perform a Moonbow follow up attack.

"I will end this swiftly!" a silver crescent moon blazed into the air and Minerva slammed her axe onto the knight, melting away his defenses with Moonbow. The Axe Knight stumbled, a huge dent in his chest plate, then fell to the ground, dropping his Brave Axe.

"Minerva, look out!" Robin yelled as Minerva turned, seeing the red mage already chanting the spell of Bolganone. The ground began to rumble and Minerva got away as fast she could on her wyvern to escape the blazing inferno. Olivia slashed the mage's head off while he was mid-cast of his magic. Robin finished off the Lance Knight with another cast of Blarraven. Now only Zephiel was left.

"You will not bar my path" Zephiel held the Eckesachs high into the air, a lightning bolt from the ceiling striking it. He then swept the royal sword above the ground, preparing to launch a shockwave. My eyes went wide.

"Nino! Get out of the way!" I commanded and Nino scurried away behind Minerva as Zephiel shot his shockwave towards her, tearing a column in half. The building began to rumble, threatening to collapse if we didn't finish Zephiel quickly.

"Here's how it's done!" Robin glowed with the strong orange flames of Ignis, his Blarraven tome made of bright fire. A blue ring of magic circled around the tactician briefly, then he blasted a stream of flaming spirit ravens at Zephiel. Zephiel took extremely heavy damage from the attack, barely able to hold up his sword anymore.

"I… won't let you win!" Zephiel's blood on his royal robes and armor glowed with Reprisal and his Eckesachs glowed with another shockwave incoming.

"He's going to try and cut down the columns and collapse the building on us! We have to kill him, then leave quickly!" I called and Robin prepared another spell.

"You won't get in my way!" Zephiel launched another shockwave towards us, cleaving several more columns of his throne room in half, causing them to collapse. Soon, the entire throne room would be on top of us and I didn't want to die. We managed to evade the Reprisal-ed shockwave as it carved another hole in the wall behind us. Robin cast Blarraven again and finally defeated Zephiel. The king of Bern fell to his knees, dropping the Eckesachs. He faded into light. At last, the battle was over.

"We have to leave! The throne room is going to collapse!" Minerva shouted and we hurried towards the portal. We just managed to jump in as the throne room of Castle Bern fell.

We managed to come back to Askr unscathed and Zephiel appeared in our castle lobby. I had Anna assign him a barracks room and I headed up to my quarters to write to Saria. Lingering in the hallways though, some of my heroes had more than a few things to say to Zephiel...

Eliwood was just walking down the hallway, bringing ingredients for Caeda's cooking when he bumped into Zephiel.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You are…" Eliwood suddenly paused, staring at the tall figure standing over him. He looked familiar. An older version of someone he knew… "Prince Zephiel?"

"King Zephiel now Marquess Pherae" Zephiel said gruffly "Though you are yet not a marquess, looking at you like this"

"I came to this world just after my fight with the sorcerer Nergal and your younger self's rescue" Eliwood replied calmly "With Marquess Elbert dead, I am technically the Marquess of Pherae"

"Hmph, very well then" Zephiel crossed his arms "I for one was summoned before your thorn of a son, Roy, entered Bern Castle with his army"

"If I recall, you are conquering every state in Elibe to give it back to dragons" Eliwood said quietly "May I perhaps hear your reasoning later in the day?"

"Hmm, you aren't vengeful or angry at my actions" Zephiel replied "I could see how my younger self could trust you"

"Everybody has their reasons for doing something. You must know what that reason is before assuming action" Eliwood said "So I'm guessing that's a yes?"

"Very well. Meet me in the the castle gardens not long after dinner. I am particularly fond of that place"

Eliwood smiled "Someone as rough as you taking a liking to gardens? I'm surprised"

"The place calms me" Zephiel muttered "Nothing to do with "liking it""

Eliwood stiffened "I'll see you later then"

"Goodbye"

Zephiel continued walking down the hallway towards his room in the barracks. Why did these barracks had to be so infernally huge? Castle Bern wasn't nearly this large.

"King Zephiel!" Zephiel turned and saw Narcian running towards him.

"Narcian. Odd to see you here" Zephiel said absently.

"My lord, were you defeated by the Askrians too?" Narcian asked.

Zephiel gritted his teeth "Defeated yes, but being pulled here is worse. They interrupted me just as Roy's army entered Bern castle. Now I'm here, not even defending the throne or covering Idoun's escape"

"My king… I am so very sorry for being unable to stop Roy's army at Etruria" Narcian hung his head in shame "Those little whelps… they'll pay for this now that I'm alive again"

"Hmph. The only people you'll be able to take vengeance on is Marquess Pherae, father of Roy or Klein, the Archer General of Etruria" Zephiel raised an eyebrow "Or perhaps Mage General Cecilia of Etruria. She gave me a gasp of shock in the hallway"

"Cecilia… yes I remember" Narcian licked his lips "She humiliated me in front of Ostia castle with all my troops around me! I must take personal revenge!"

"Hmph, I won't stand in your way then" Zephiel stared forward distantly "I have no purpose here other than slaying my enemies and finding out how to return to my world. You on the other hand, benefit here by taking personal grudges and revenge. Narcissistic AND vengeful to the end"

"You wound me milord" Narcian bowed "Surely those qualities aren't bad"

"If they don't impede you in combat or performing your duty, such "qualities" don't matter" Zephiel replied, then stared at the ground beneath him "Emotions… all utterless pointless. Yet one of my general's drives IS emotion. What man have I hired…?"

"What was that milord?"

"Nothing. I'm going to rest"

 _Later into the night…_

"So the reason you were targeted by Black Fang assassins… is because your father wanted to remove you from the throne?" Eliwood was sitting right across Zephiel in a gazebo in the castle gardens, uneasy about the king's story.

"Hmph. My father's a despicable man. Only out for himself and driven by jealousy and hate towards his own son" Zephiel's voice dropped to a sharp growl when he spoke of his late father "Humans… it's only their emotions that drive them to do despicable things"

"I see now" Eliwood put his hand onto his chin "The reason you want to hand the world of Elibe to dragonkind is because you believe that human emotion like jealousy, hate and anger leads the world to tragedy?"

"Ha, you read my mind like a book Marquess Pherae" Zephiel said "But yes, that is my only goal. My only purpose as King of Bern. To liberate the world of human emotion"

"Is there anyway I can convince you otherwise?" Eliwood asked.

"None. I am already set and no reasoning will stop me" Zephiel stood up "I must be leaving now. I have training to do. This world… drained me of so much of my strength"

"Very well then. I won't stay around to argue with you, King Zephiel" Eliwood stood up from his chair "But if you and I return to our worlds, I WILL do what I can to stop you"

"Ha, you can try" Zephiel scoffed "But for now, we're allies. Let us drive away petty emotions of revenge and anger"

"So I will" Eliwood held out his hand and shook it with Zephiel "Had we not been enemies in our worlds, I feel like we could of been good friends"

"Hmph. Perhaps" Zephiel let go of Eliwood's hand and trudged back into the castle, his armor clanking as he walked. Eliwood stayed a while longer in the garden, before heading back inside to sleep. He was glad to be summoned into Askr. Being able to see wars in other people's perspective was very interested. Now, he understood why Zephiel began his conquest across Elibe. But that never meant it was right.

If he returned to his world, he would stop at nothing to stop Zephiel.

 **And there is the Grand Hero Battle against Zephiel along with some conversations between him and Eliwood and Narcian. Coming up next is Chapter 11 of the main story: World of Radiance (finally, something interesting for once) along with the legendary Hero Fest banner. Thank you all for the favorites, follows and reviews. Until next time summoners!**


	25. Chapter 10: World of Radiance

A Summoner's Journey

Chapter 10: World of Radiance

 _Team for this chapter: Ryoma, Robin, Minerva and Priscilla_

The ultimate banner. The best summoning banner in existence just flew through the lobby this morning. Opening it up, I found out the banner was called "Hero Fest", featuring Ryoma, Hector, Azura and Takumi, some of the strongest heroes at the moment. But the real treat was that the heroes featured on the banner have a higher chance of being summoned into Askr. Basically, they had an "increased focus rate" according to the book "World of Heroes and Askr" I found in the library. I quickly gathered all of my orbs and headed towards the summoning ruins, bringing Robin, Lyn and Jeorge along to be my "bodyguards"

"Pray that the goddess of luck blesses me" I grinned as I continued walking towards the ruins "Everyone on this banner can benefit our army a ton and plus…"

I glanced at Lyn and winked "I could reunite you with Hector"

"That would be nice" Lyn smiled "It's been too long since I saw him. I'm starting to miss him…"

"Hector would increase Askr's strength tenfold as well" Robin said "I faced him thrice, once in Embla's invasion of Askr, a second in the World of Blazing and a third time in a voting gauntlet battle. All the times I fought him told me he's a ferocious fighter"

"His Distant Counter skill and his legendary axe, Armads form a scary duo" Jeorge nodded in agreement "Hector can fix our lack of axe knights in the army"

"He can fix our lack of knights in general" Lyn laughed "All we have is Draug and Gwendolyn"

"I swear, that Gwendolyn looks exactly like an Ostian knight I read about once" Robin said, fidgeting with his coat "The knight's name was Wendy and she had pink hair, wore red armor and was the first female knight of Ostia. Everything that Gwendolyn says she is"

"Maybe Gwendolyn is Wendy's twin sister" Jeorge offered.

Robin scowled "There isn't any mention of Wendy having a twin sister. She DID have an older brother named Bors though"

"That's strange. Maybe Gwen just wasn't mentioned in the history books" Lyn shrugged "Or she is actually Wendy, but changed her name"

"Why would she need to do that?" I asked "Does she need to hide her identity? Robin said she was a "knight of Ostia", not an "assassin of Ostia""

"It's hard to know unless we ask Gwen ourselves" Robin spread his hands "But that's a topic for another time. We've arrived at the ruins"

"It's time to Hero Fest" I snickered at my own joke and inserted the Hero Fest postcard into the banner slot. The five orbs embedded onto the wall glowed in different colours, two red, one blue and two green

"No chance of Takumi in this batch" I sighed, but began loading orbs into the Breidablik regardless. I pointed at the red stone in the lower right and clicked the trigger on the Breidablik. The stone glowed bright red and the orbs on my gun disappeared, followed by a strong flare of light. When the flash cleared, a man dressed in red samurai armor stood in front of me, with very long spiky black hair that went down to his waist. On his side was a white scabbard and in his hand was a golden katana bustling with electricity. Ryoma has arrived.

"I am Ryoma, high prince of Hoshido and he who has inherited the Raijinto. I will give it my all, however dire the times" Ryoma said. His voice was controlled, smooth and commanding. Ryoma sounded like a great leader and a strong combatant.

"Pleasure to meet you Ryoma. I'm glad that you've come here" I smiled and shook the swordmaster's hand "I have the Corrin twins here to introduce you to Askr"

"Ah, the two Corrins are here too. That's good" Ryoma smiled "Me and my siblings were frantic after Corrin disappeared. Prince Xander of Nohr reported to us that Corrine suddenly disappeared too"

"I'm sorry to have caused you grief and sadness" I apologized "But rest assured, the Corrins are safe here"

"Thank you. I'll be seeing them later" Ryoma nodded, then joined my other heroes behind me as I continued summoning. The other orbs didn't give me any 5 stars. I got a 4 star Eirika, 4 star Catria, 3 star Arthur and a 4 star Barst. I decided to stop summoning as Caeda came flying over to the ruins to tell me that Embla is invading Askr and I needed to report back to the castle immediately. I quickly rushed my new heroes back home.

"Lucian! We have an emergency on our hands!" Anna cried as I entered through the Askr lobby.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Embla's forces are invading Askr! They've broken through the border and are closing into Askr castle. All the border guards have been killed!" Anna said frantically.

"A-again? When did she have the time to muster more enslaved heroes?" Sharena's eyes were wide with shock "Last time I remember, we destroyed half of her army the last time she attacked us. She couldn't possibly grab more!"

"I don't know how she did it, but the person leading the Emblian force is the real problem" Alfonse said, his posture tense "Embla has recruited the strongest of all heroes. The Radiant Hero named Ike"

Ike. One of my mains in Super Smash Bros actually back in my world. I was really excited to have him on our team, but I blew all my orbs on Hero Fest. I pushed thoughts of excitement aside and got down to business.

"I'm going to take a team of heroes to meet the force head on" I said "Where is Ike's army currently?"

"According to Caeda and Minerva, Ike's army is at an western Askrian outpost" Anna informed "I'll send an Askrian knight unit to hold off the Emblians while you deal with Ike"

"Alright then. Thank you" I turned my head to the entrance, where Minerva and Caeda were just coming back from the scouting mission "I'm going to take Ryoma, Robin, Minerva and Priscilla to meet Embla on the battlefield"

"I'll go grab Priscilla from the library" Sharena hurried off to grab the troubadour. While my heroes were preparing, Ryoma headed to the training yard to quickly loosen up and get himself ready to fight. Half an hour later, all of us were ready to engage Embla and Ike.

"Good luck. We'll be defending Askr while you're gone" Alfonse clapped me on the back and Sharena hugged me goodbye. The Askrian knight unit assembled shortly after and trailed behind us as we walked on the lush Askrian plains to meet Ike on the field of battle. Finally, the outpost was within sight and Emblian soldiers patrolled it, watching for intruders. The Askrian knights charged and distracted the Emblian patrol men while we sneaked inside. We found Ike and his tactician, Soren at the back of the outpost, with many Emblian guards.

"So this is the Order of Heroes" Ike heaved his legendary sword, Ragnell off his should and got into battle stance "You don't seem like the royal armies I've fought before. The Greil Mercenaries are bound by our contract with Princess Veronica and we always finish what we start. If you don't have the courage to fight, you better run"

A thin red shield flickered over Ike's body and I zoomed in on a strange dark red badge on his breastplate. Were they one of the new "Sacred Seals" I heard about? I decided to ignore and looked Ike into the eyes.

"We will not run. We will stand our ground and force all of you out of Askr. Let's fight!"

"Let's get on it then" Ike pointed his Ragnell at me "Emblians! Engage the Askrians!"

All the Emblian soldiers charged towards us, weapons ready to strike. Ryoma slashed apart two Axe Fighters at once with his Raijinto, then darted away as a Red Mage Cavalier attacked with Fenrir. Robin destroyed all the swordsmen and archers, killing each and every one with one or two hits. Minerva soared as high as the ceiling world allow her and did her usual hit-and-run strategies, sky-slamming enemy soldiers out of nowhere with her Hauteclere. But no matter how many enemies Ryoma, Robin and Minerva cut down, more of them appeared from the outpost's doors. Me and Priscilla stayed far away from the carnage, hiding in a hole on the wooden floor.

"Robin! Attack Ike!" I commanded. I assumed that taking down the enemy leader would cause the enemy to surrender, but Soren wasn't having any of that.

"Rexcalibur!" the mage summoned a tornado beneath Robin's feet and blew him away, making him fall hard on his back. Ryoma countered with a bolt of electricity from his Raijinto, then dashed up to Soren with lightning speed, slicing the mage in half with his sword.

"I will finish you!" Ike came at Ryoma with his Ragnell, but the samurai blocked the heavy sword with his katana and fell back, trying to attack Ike with his lightning bolts. Ryoma sent a spark of electricity towards Ike, but the red shield generated around Ike and completely negated the damage. Ryoma quickly switched tactics and went into a defensive stance, attempting to block or evade Ike's swings. Meanwhile, Robin and Minerva were taking down the Emblian reinforcements, trying to keep them away from me and Priscilla. Robin fell back to where we were hiding and Priscilla healed his wounds inflicted by Soren with her Rehabilitate staff. How were we supposed to win this? An endless amount of Emblians were coming into the room and Ike seemingly couldn't be killed. What could we do?

"May your blood crust my blade!" Ryoma dodged Ike's strike by sidestepping to the right and slashed his Raijinto over Ike's neck. But as usual, the red shield generated and Ryoma's sword bounced off harmlessly. While Ryoma stumbled back, Ike swung his Ragnell in a wide arc, tearing at Ryoma's waist. The samurai collapsed to the ground, but his grip on his Raijinto was tight. Ike swung his sword downwards to finish off Ryoma, but the samurai lunged and tried to run his sword through Ike's stomach. Ike saw this and blocked the hit with his giant blade, but didn't see something else coming.

"Blarraven!"

A swarm of ravens exploded out from the ground and pounded Ike hard. The mercenary staggered backwards, holding his Ragnell so tightly as to not drop it. Somehow, Robin's Blarraven pierced Ike's red shield. Before Robin could launch a follow up attack, Veronica warped onto the battlefield and blocked Robin's magic.

"Veronica!" I was shocked for a moment, then my instincts took over "Take her down Ryoma!"

"Not so fast" Veronica touched Ike's arm and warped herself and Ike away, avoiding Ryoma's attack.

"I've shared our ward with you, but it won't last forever" Veronica told Ike.

"Yeah, that thunder mage over there managed to pierce it" Ike rubbed the back of his neck in pain with his free hand.

"Let's retreat for now. Soon enough, the seal's power will return and we'll strike" Veronica smiled sinisterly "Again and again. Over and over. No matter how long it takes"

Veronica touched Ike's arm again and warped him out of the outpost. The sounds of battle died down and the remaining Askrian knights came inside to check on us.

"We… managed to fend them off at least…" Robin panted as he sat on the ground and rested while Priscilla healed everyone's wounds.

"Just barely. That man… Ike… he's stronger than he looks to be" Ryoma sheathed his Raijinto and took a deep breath to steady himself. Priscilla's staff stitched up his waist, but the samurai still twitched with pain occasionally.

"His skills speak to a life spent training for battle and no one can match his tenacity… overcoming him will be a challenge" Minerva landed on the floor and gave her wyvern something from the pack on her saddle to eat "Needless to say, I think this battle taught us something"

Robin snapped his fingers "You're right. Even with the huge advantage they had, they still decided to retreat. That means…"

"The seal Ike's using to protect himself doesn't last very long" I nodded in agreement "Robin, your attack managed to pierce his shield when Ryoma's couldn't. Maybe the shield wore off at that moment"

"Whatever happens though, they'll attack again" Ryoma crossed his arms "We better head back to Askr, heal and fortify our defenses"

"Good plan Ryoma. Let's hurry back" Robin urged.

On the way back to Askr castle however, we encountered more Emblian soldiers on a bridge over a large river. Two Lance Fliers, a red mage, a cleric named Mist and an Axe Cavalier named Titania were waiting for us. We needed to head back to Askr quick, so I sent Robin on the right to deal with the Lance Flier and red mage. The red mage fired a wave of Rauðrraven+ towards Robin, but the tactician deflected it effortlessly with his own raven storm. Minerva swooped down and sliced the mage in half with her axe. The Lance Flier tried to attack Minerva with her Killer Lance+, but the wyvern rider easily destroyed the Lance Flier too. Meanwhile, Ryoma and Priscilla were on the left side of the bridge, fighting off Titania, Mist and the second Lance Flier. Ryoma defeated Titania and Mist in the matter of seconds thanks to their weak defenses, but the Lance Flier's Sapphire Lance was giving Ryoma a lot of trouble. The samurai backed up and continued to block the soldier's lance while Priscilla healed him. Luckily, Minerva came fast and slashed the flier by the waist, killing her.

"We gotta hurry before Embla resumes their attack!" Robin called and we rushed ahead towards Askr castle.

We ended up in a forest in the outskirts of Askr castle, but something felt odd about the place. It's like someone else was around. More people than my group.

"Be on guard. I sense a presence around here" Ryoma drew his Raijinto and held it in front of my stomach to protect me. Suddenly, the air shifted and I heard rustles in the leaves nearby. Robin must of sense it too, because he twitched slightly.

"Everyone move back!" Robin yelled as tall ice blades burst from the ground, which would of impaled me if Ryoma didn't throw me back. As the ice magic faded, the enemy revealed himself. A tanned man riding a white-armored horse with a enigmatic mask on his face. His snow-blue tome was glowing with white energy. It was him. The masked knight we fought back in Askr.

"I WOULD thank you for warning us of Veronica's attack on the summoning ruins, but I retract that now that you tried to kill me" I said, locking my hands together in front of me.

"You wanted to thank me? Hah. You don't understand a thing, do you?" the masked knight laughed lightly.

"What do you mean?" I glared at the knight, my heroes growing more and more tense as the conversation went on.

"I'm just trying to keep things interesting. If my sister conquered Askr, she'd steal all the glory" the knight said it all casually "Who wants that?"

"Your… sister? You mean Veronica?" I asked.

The knight flashed a smile "That's right. Veronica is my little sister. My name is Bruno. Speaking formally, you'd call me Prince Bruno of the Emblian Empire"

"Hah, nice to meet you then. I'm glad you revealed your identity to us Bruno" I smiled sinisterly "Because we have to kill you. Everyone! Attack Bruno!"

"Foolish" Bruno galloped away as multiple Emblian soldiers jumped out of the trees and bushes to intercept us. Ryoma and Minerva cut them down like wheat, but more came coming. A Sword Flier snuck up from behind and landed a hit on Priscilla, but the troubadour smacked the flier backwards with her staff and Ryoma finished the flier off. A Lance Flier came rushing towards us from the front, but Minerva easily cut her down.

"Are you ready to die?" suddenly a tornado of wind burst beneath Minerva's feet, blowing her several feet into the air and cutting her wyvern's wings. Minerva fell back, getting healed by Priscilla who also healed herself thanks to Live to Serve. The Rexcalibur+ tornado blew under Minerva again, but she dodged it and set her sights on the attacker. Soren was preparing to launch another Rexcalibur, but Ryoma stabbed him in the back and ended the green mage. Bruno's Valaskjalf caught Ryoma off guard and he was forced to pull back. Minerva soared high above the forest and was about to dive bomb Bruno, but Titania jumped in front of Bruno and took Minerva's attack. Minerva's Hauteclere bounced effortlessly off of Titania's red shield.

"It's that shield again…" Minerva murmured as she dodged an Emerald Axe swing from Titania before taking a Slow spell from Mist, preventing the wyvern rider from retreating.

"This matter is closed" Bruno's Valaskjalf sparked with golden electricity and he shot it towards Minerva, electrocuting her in a violent line of lightning.

"GURRAHHHH!" Minerva screamed as the Growing Thunder blasted her backwards into a tree. Minerva tried to get up, her hand barely managing to grasp her Hauteclere.

"Valaskjalf!" Bruno cast his magic and encased Minerva in a cube of ice, before willing it to explode, sending the wyvern rider sailing into another tree with a sickening crunch. The princess of Macedon collapsed on the ground, fading away along with her wyvern rider.

"Minerva!" I yelled, then surveyed the battlefield. More and more Emblian soldiers were coming out of the trees and Ryoma and Robin couldn't hold them off forever, even with Priscilla's healing. The only option was to retreat.

"Heroes, retreat!" I cried "We need to find another way back to Askr castle!"

Ryoma and Robin finished off the last Emblians they were fighting then dashed out of the woods from where we came from. I quickly asked if I could ride on Priscilla's horse with her and she obliged, scooting over to make space. I grabbed the troubadour's waist as she spurred her horse forward, galloping out of the forest with Emblians hot on our heels. While we were retreating, Ryoma and Robin were firing ranged attacks at our pursuers to keep them off our trail.

"Here's how it's done!" Robin unleashed a flood of ravens empowered by Ignis and toppled another line of Emblian soldiers. Ryoma thrust his Raijinto into the air and called down another lightning bolt to incinerate an Emblian. Finally, we reached Askr castle through the backdoor with a whole battalion of Emblian soldiers on our feet. The Askrian guardsmen parted when they saw me and we barreled through the backdoor into the mess hall.

"An Emblian battalion is heading towards the backdoor. Any Askrian guard or hero, guard the back entrance from any Emblian attacker!" I called and the guards stirred, picking up their weapons underneath their table to guard the back entrance. As Eliwood passed me, he tapped me on the shoulder.

"Sir Lucian, Caeda saw a group of Emblian soldiers heading towards the front entrance. You know what you need to do" the cavalier said grimly.

I nodded "Thank you for telling me Eliwood. Stay safe"

"You too"

I rushed towards the lobby with my heroes, grabbing Michalis to fill in for Minerva. I passed Minerva in the infirmary, receiving treatment from Maria, Serra and Clarine. I gave her a solumn nod and mouthed "Sorry" before leaving towards the portal courtyard. We just made it outside as Ike stepped into the courtyard. Standing beside him was Titania and Soren, along with a handful of Emblian soldiers. I wasted no time talking and gave the command for my heroes to charge.

"Emblian soldiers! Engage the Askrian heroes!" Ike called as his own soldiers rushed forward. A Blue Mage Knight cast Elthunder onto Ryoma, but Ryoma somersaulted backwards to dodge and retaliated with a lightning strike from his Raijinto. While the mage knight was stunned, Ryoma dashed forward quickly and stabbed the mage in the chest. Robin deflected an arrow from an archer with Blarraven, then took down the archer with a single blast of lightning. Soren summoned a tornado with Rexcalibur and blew away Robin, making him slam against the castle's wall. Michalis swooped from the air and grabbed Soren with his wyvern's claws. He dragged the mage over to a castle wall and slammed him against it, making blood run down the side of Askr castle. After a few slams, bones began to fall from the sky.

"Michalis! Stop it! He's dead!" I shouted, but Michalis continued his brutal assault.

"MICHALIS! I ORDER YOU TO STOP!" I screamed and the wyvern rider stopped, dropping Soren's mangled corpse to the ground. Luckily, it faded before I could puke my guts out. Meanwhile, Ryoma blocked Titania's Emerald Axe with his sword and slashed the axe cavalier across the chest, taking her down. Ike dashed forward, Ragnell in hand to engage Ryoma. The samurai blocked the first hit, then used his speed to get under Ike's guard and stab him in the waist. However, the red shield appeared over Ike's body and Ryoma's katana bounced off, leaving him vulnerable to Ike.

"I will finish you!" Ike pointed his Ragnell at Ryoma, then tossed it into the air "Aether!"

Ike slammed his Ragnell onto Ryoma's head, then stabbed him in the chest before returning to his original position, all in supersonic speed. Ryoma collapsed onto the ground and faded into light. Now we only had Robin, Michalis and Priscilla to stop the oncoming waves of Emblians.

"Time to tip the scales!" Robin shouted and blasted a wide stream of Blarraven enhanced by Ignis into the mob, knocking down Emblians like bowling pins. Michalis swooped down and picked up a poor Emblian soldier with his wyvern's claws before doing his slam-against-the-wall assault, but I ordered him not to go overkill.

"Ugh, it's going to take a while to scrub the blood off of the castle walls" I groaned as Robin took down wave after wave of Emblians with Priscilla continually healing him. Ike continued his assault on Robin, but while Triangle Adept blocked most of Ike's damage, Robin couldn't make a scratch on Ike in turn. Ike's Aether attacks broke through Robin's defenses and Priscilla had to heal the tactician with twice as much power, so much so that Priscilla's Rehabilitate began to smoke.

"I am the end of you!" Michalis's Silver Axe sparked with red electricity as he body slammed a group of Emblians with Blazing Thunder, turning the soldiers into ash. Robin fired Blarraven at Ike, but as usual, the red shield completely blocked Robin's attack. Ike retaliated by swinging the Ragnell over his head, shooting a blue shockwave towards Robin. The tactician took the shockwaves well, but Ike pointed his Ragnell at Robin, signifying an Aether.

"Run while you can!" Ike threw his sword into the air, leaped and caught it, sky slamming Robin into the ground. The attack was too much and Robin faded away, defeated. All was left was Michalis and Priscilla. In desperation, Priscilla rose her Panic staff into the air and chanted the incantation written on it. A wave of panic pulsed from the staff, turning my nerves to jelly. I suddenly had the urge to cry out in panic and run back into the castle, screaming. The wave of panic affected the Emblians too and they ran out of the courtyard, before running back inside in confusion. Ike flinched from the Panic spell since it was directed on him, but he didn't show any signs of damage. Michalis swooped down, bringing his Silver Axe onto Ike's head, but the shield held and Ike retaliated, killing Michalis in one hit.

"It's over" Ike said, pointing his Ragnell at me and Priscilla "Surrender your weapons and you can keep your life"

"There's my opening!" suddenly Sharena attacked Ike from behind with Moonbow, shattering the shield into pieces and impaling Ike on her lance. Ike snarled and pushed her back, dislodging the lance, but he was clearly very wounded. From inside the lobby, Odin called a thunderbolt from the sky, but Ike sidestepped it and launched two shockwaves with his Ragnell, knocking Odin to the ground. Ike pointed his Ragnell at Niles and unleashed his Aether attack, killing the outlaw and healing the wounds Sharena gave him. We all stood around Ike, careful to not be in range of his sword. The mercenary stared at us for a moment, then slowly walked backward towards a portal, silently gesturing the Emblian reinforcements to join him. All the invaders eventually left through the portal. I could finally breathe after that.

"We managed to hold them off and force them to retreat but…" Alfonse stared at the portal Ike and his army left through, his posture tense. I grabbed Lyn, Nino and Catria to replace Ryoma, Robin and Michalis, as all of them were too injured to continue.

"We have to find a way to turn the tide but how…" Anna stroked her chin thoughtfully, but jerked her head towards me as I began walking towards the portal "Lucian! What are you doing?"

"Clearly, whatever is protecting them wears off overtime" I said, itching closer to the portal "If the protection is now gone... "

"You… you want to chase them? That's crazy Lucian!" Sharena cried "You'll be caught in enemy territory!"

"But it's our only option to defeating Ike" Alfonse said "We have no idea what's going to happen in there, but this is our only chance. Lucian, we'll reinforce you if necessary. Good luck in there"

"Thank you Alfonse" I nodded and took Lyn, Nino, Priscilla and Catria into the World of Radiance.

We landed outside an old looking fort, where Ike, Titania, Soren, Mist and a Lance Cavalier were waiting. The Lance Cavalier didn't look like an Emblian soldier though. He had light green hair and wore green armor. His eyes were only slits and he held a Sapphire Lance in hand. I never had any idea how people like that could see.

"You made your way here, even knowing the risks. I applaud your bravery" Titania smiled, then heaved her Emerald Axe "There's just one problem: we can't afford to lose. You're going down today. Not us"

"Hold back and let them charge into the encampment" Ike commanded "We'll take them down one by one"

"Understood" his troops nodded.

I scanned the battlefield and saw that Ike, Mist, Soren and Titania were all positioned on the left side of the fort while the lone Lance Cavalier was on the right. I silently told Nino to hide behind a wall, then ambush the cavalier with her magic. Nino attacking should aggravate Ike and his soldiers to attack us. Nino did as I instructed and hid behind a fort wall, slowly itching her way towards the Lance Cavalier. The cavalier noticed nothing and by the time he did, it was too late. Nino sprang from her hiding spot, opening her tome.

"Gronnblade!"

A giant magical blade burst from Nino's tome and pierced the cavalier right through. The blade exploded, leaving the cavalier on the ground, dead. The others noticed and Ike gave the command to attack. Titania was the first to leave their encampment and charged towards us, with Ike providing support from behind. Lyn stepped in Titania's path and clashed with the Axe Cavalier, Sol Katti to Emerald Axe. Lyn pushed Titania's axe away and was about to strike her in the chest, but Ike's Ragnell came out of nowhere and shattered Lyn's Sol Katti.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me!" I slapped my forehead "He has Swordbreaker?!"

Lyn retreated and drew her backup Silver Sword as Titania continued her assault. However, Lyn was forced into a defensive stance as Ike's Ragnell loomed behind Titania, waiting to ambush any swords coming the axe cavalier's way. I told Catria to fly into the air and distract Ike so Lyn can defeat Titania. The pegasus knight disappeared into the air as Lyn parried an axe attack from Titania, but couldn't take advantage of her open guard due to Ike stepping in front of Titania to protect her. Luckily, Catria came fast and rocketed down from the skies onto Ike, stabbing her Killer Lance into the mercenary's chest. Ike retaliated with a swing of the Ragnell, but Catria darted backwards to dodge it, then spun her lance as a bright crescent moon burned into the air.

"No matter the cost!" Catria charged at Ike again, her lance empowered by Luna. The pegasus knight stabbed Ike in the stomach, piercing his natural defenses. As Catria dislodged her spear, Ike dropped to one knee, using his Ragnell as support before slumping over, fading away in defeat. With Ike out of the way, Lyn was free to defeat Titania in one fell stroke. Soren and Mist came from the fort afterwards and begun their attack. Soren summoned a tornado with Rexcalibur and defeated Catria in a single hit while Mist slowed Lyn's advance with her Slow staff. Nino tried to attack Soren with Gronnblade, but the mage dodged the magic blades and launched a counterattack. Nino dodged it as well and began to recast her spell, but a gush of water burst from under Soren's feet, knocking the magic out from Nino's hands. My eyes widened. I remember someone doing something similar before. But it was in the World of Shadows and he used wind instead of water…

"He has the same skill as Alm. But instead of Windsweep, it's Watersweep!" I realized, then I told Nino to not engage Soren. The mage nodded and focused her attacks on Mist instead. The cleric fell not too long after. With the Slow spell broken on Lyn, she dashed towards Soren with lightning speed and stabbed him in the chest with her Silver Sword, killing him in one strike. At last, we defeated Ike.

Ike reappeared in a flash of magic as usual, his Ragnell resting on his shoulder.

"We lost. But I have no regrets" Ike acknowledged "You showed your strength. We're not enemies. Someday, somewhere...we might just meet again. I look forward to it"

And the mercenary left the fort without a word or look back.

"Great job everyone. Now it's time to head back to Askr" I faced the portal, but it flickered momentarily, suddenly going red for a second.

"What was that?" Priscilla asked.

The portal flickered red again, shrinking a little.

"The portal! It looks to be closing! Come on everyone! We have to go!" Lyn shouted and all of us went into the portal as it grew smaller. I was the last to leave, but someone's voice stopped me. Someone… familiar.

"Hello again Lucian" Veronica smiled at me sinisterly "This time, it's just you and me. Your bratty little friends are on the other side of the gateway"

"What do you want Veronica?" I glared at her.

"Why, I'm here to fulfill the promise I made!" Veronica's grin grew wider as she pulled the tome Elivagar from her robes "I'll pop your head right off... just like I used to do with my dolls. It's time for you to die!"

Before Veronica could invoke the spell, a javelin flew from behind and hit Veronica in the leg, disrupting the attack.

"What the- Who dares!" Veronica growled, as if the javelin didn't bother her.

"Run Lucian! Towards the light!" an unfamiliar male voice shouted behind me "Just go! Trust me! I'm Zacharias! Alfonse and Sharena's friend!"

Taking advantage of Zacharia's distraction, I leaped through the closing portal. Zacharias's voice continued ringing in my head.

"Keep going! You're almost there Lucian! Watch out for Alfonse and the others for me!"

Finally, I landed in the portal courtyard with Alfonse, Sharena and Anna breathing a sigh of relief.

"Lucian! There you are! I'm glad you made it back!" Alfonse grinned.

"Thank goodness you're back. When we took longer to get out of the gate than Lyn, Nino and Priscilla, I thought you were lost forever!" Sharena hugged me affectionately.

"Please don't do that again. We were worried sick" Anna said.

"I couldn't have gotten out of the situation without Zacharias's help though" I said and Alfonse, Sharena and Anna stepped back.

"Wait… Zacharias helped you?!" Alfonse and Sharena asked in unison, both utterly shocked.

I explained what happened with Veronica and Sharena begged Anna to allow us to go back into the World of Radiance, but Anna refused.

"The majority of the Emblian army along with Veronica herself is in there. We're exposing us and Zacharias to more danger if we go in" Anna said sternly "I'm sorry, but we can't go back"

"I-I guess we just have to…" Sharena sniffed "We have to let Zacharias handle himself for now. I hope he's safe"

"We all are Sharena" I said "But for now, we should rely on him to keep himself safe"

"Y-yes of course" Sharena wiped her eyes, then reached into her pocket, giving me a notice "This came into the mail while you were gone"

Opening it up, I found a new summoning banner titled "Battling Xander" along with the postcard needed to fight his Grand Hero Battle.

"Guess we'll take on Xander tomorrow" I said "I need to get some sleep"

"Yes, you should" Alfonse nodded "Go to your room. We'll guard the World of Radiance portal while you rest"

"Thank you Alfonse" I smiled before heading back into the castle.

 _Later into the night…_

"...And Midir is pronounced as "MI-DEER" not "MI-DUR" Nino" Robin said as Nino read a book about Jugdal history to him.

"Oh I see. Why is that Robin?" Nino asked, gazing up to the man with innocent blue eyes.

"I don't know the exact reason why, but the man himself claimed his name to be pronounced that way" Robin shrugged.

"Wait… you said the man himself. You met this Midir?" Nino stared at Robin in confusion.

"Well… in my world, there are these magical cards called Einherjar" Robin explained, pulling a faint blue card from inside his coat. The card depicted the Queen of Crimea from Tellius history, Elincia. Robin often used it back in his world to send messages quickly without sending off his own forces.

"With the right incantation, I can use the Einherjar card to summon the hero depicted on it to my aid" Robin continued, pushing the Elincia card closer to Nino for a closer look "I can even talk to them"

"Oh! So you managed to get a Midir Ein-har-jer?" Nino tried to pronounce Einherjar, but failed miserably, making Robin laugh.

"Einherjar Nino. Say it with me. Ein…"

"Ein" Nino repeated.

"Her"

"Her"

"Jar"

"Jar"

"Einherjar"

"Einherjar" Nino perked up "I got it!"

"Ha ha, you sure did Nino. Good for you" Robin ruffled Nino's head, making her smile fondly.

"You know Robin… I've come to really enjoy your company and I'm so glad to be one of your friends" Nino said "I didn't want to say this earlier because I thought you might revolt at it but…"

Nino took a deep breath.

"You're like an uncle to me"

"An uncle? I think brother would make a little more sense" Robin laughed.

"No, no, you're older than me Robin. That makes you my uncle" Nino insisted and Robin's laughter died down "Mind if I tell you a story?"

"Tell me if you need help grabbing one from a high shelf" Robin said, but Nino shook her head.

"No Robin. I'm going to tell you MY story" Nino said and Robin relaxed himself, staring into Nino's crystal blue eyes. Like water on a lake.

"Are you sure Nino? You look like you're about to crack already" Robin said, reaching over to stroke Nino's green hair playfully.

"I'm going to tell you because you deserve to know after you did so much for me" Nino took a deep breath then began. After she was done, Nino was crying and even Robin was too.

"Now you understand" Nino said as tears fell to the library floor like raindrops "You're an uncle to me because you're like all my precious friends and family I had before. Lloyd, Linus, Legault, Canas, my father…t-they all left me or died"

Nino choked up and continued to cry, with Robin passing her a tissue to dry her tears while drying his own.

"So please Robin… you're the only family member I have left besides Jaffar" Nino hugged Robin and sobbed into his chest "Please don't leave me!"

"I never plan to and I never will Nino" Robin said, patting Nino's back "The others may have passed on, but I won't. I will always be here for you Nino"

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now please dry your tears. It's almost bedtime"

"Y-yes, thank you" Nino let go of Robin and used the remains of her tissue to dry her eyes. Robin led Nino to her room and tucked her in, shutting the door behind him. As the tactician walked down the hallway, he thought of Nino's story.

"All this pain, grief and loss is being pushed onto a young 14 year old girl" Robin murmured to himself "Oh gods above, why must the world be so cruel…"

As Robin was about to push open the door to his and Robinne's room, he made a silent vow.

"Nino needs friends and companions in her life. She suffered enough and never needs to go through more. She deserves a happy ending. I'll be one of the people who will grant her that ending"

 **And the World of Radiance is cleared! Coming up next is Xander's Grand Hero Battle followed by the Male Mages vs Female Mages Voting Gauntlet (Yippee) But following that is another story chapter: The Rite of Shadows, so that's something exciting to come. Also at the end of every chapter, I'm going to have a "Later into the night" segment where I focus on two heroes talking to each other and bonding. For the last chapter, it was Eliwood and Zephiel. Now it's Robin and Nino. This sets the stage for when the support system comes out later. As always, thank you for all the kind reviews, favorites and follows. Until next time fellow summoners!**


	26. Grand Hero Battle: Xander

A Summoner's Journey

Grand Hero Battle: Xander

 _Team for this chapter: Robin, Tharja, Olivia and Priscilla_

It was time.

I've faced Xander many times before alongside my heroes. But now, it was finally time to fight him one on one. Our victory can earn us Xander's power. If his power is the same as when we fought all those months ago, I know for sure he would be an invaluable addition to the Askrian army. I strategized long with my tacticians in the war room and we decided to pick Robin, Tharja, Olivia and Priscilla. Oh, I forgot to mention earlier that I summoned a 4 star Tharja not too long ago. She insisted on following Robin into this fight and we agreed, not wanting to pick a fight with the Plegian dark mage. I chose Olivia because we actually needed the dance support this time. Unlike with Zephiel's Grand Hero Battle, Xander's location had very little room between me and the enemy team. I needed Olivia to reinvigorate my mages as much as possible. Finally, Priscilla was just there to provide healing support and spread panic through the enemy ranks. Good old reliable Priscilla. Minutes later, we were set to leave, yet a felt a cold chill of wind bristling behind my back as I faced the portal to the World of Conquest. Something ominous is going to happen. Something… sad.

"Is there something wrong Lucian?" Priscilla asked.

"N-no, nothing. Come on, let's go" I led my heroes into the World of Conquest.

"No! You're not allowed to leave this room. I'm going to face Corrin alone. Is that clear?!" Xander suddenly shouted, tense as he paced the room, his Siegfried locked in its sheath in Xander's hand. His retainers, Peri and Laslow looked down in defeat as they couldn't convince their liege to have Nohrian soldiers back him up.

"I hear footsteps. I'm afraid we're out of time" Xander looked grim as he got onto his black horse and left the room he was in. Peri and Laslow both stared at each other, knowing what they have to do.

As Xander headed out to meet his adversaries, he was surprised to find an unfamiliar group of people waiting in front of a blue portal. Clearly, this wasn't the Hoshidan army. They were assassins.

"You there! Who are you and what are you doing in Castle Krakenburg?" Xander called. I didn't respond and silently urged my heroes to get into position.

"Hmph, you won't answer? Fine then. I will defeat you assassins myself. Prepare yourself!" Xander grasped the hilt of his Siegfried and unclenched it from its sheath, the dark purple gem on the hilt radiating purple waves of terror. Before we could attack, Peri and Laslow's voices rang through the room.

"Lord Xander! Is everything alright?!" the cavalier and swordsman rushed in, bringing a small troop of Nohrian soldiers with them. I spotted a foreign Halberdier alongside a Nohrian Strategist, Hero and Maid.

"You two! I told you to stay out of this!" Xander commanded with an edge of anger in his voice "What are you doing here?"

"Milord, take a good look at our opponents here. They aren't the Hoshidan army" Laslow explained "We will stay out of your fight with Corrin, but we will NOT allow you to die by these foreign men!"

"Yeah! We don't want you to die! Let us deal with the killing!" Peri cheered, raising her Killer Lance into the air "We'll take care of these people for you!"

"Peri, Laslow…" Xander relaxed and his stiff expression loosened "Thank you. But I won't be sitting back. I will fight with you!"

"Understood!" Laslow and Peri prepared to fight as Xander gave his battalion the command to attack.

"Hold your ground everyone! They are coming in all at once!" I called and my units went into a defensive formation. The Halberdier came towards us first, brandishing a Silver Lance. Robin easily knocked him down with Blarraven and shattered his spear with Lancebreaker. Xander galloped forward quickly, followed behind by Peri. Laslow's Rally Speed must of boosted his speed because Xander managed a hard stab to Robin's shoulder before the tactician could attack. Robin stepped back, but was stabbed again by Peri.

"Tharja! Take out Xander!" I commanded and the dark mage began murmuring the incantation for Rauðrblade, sending glowing red blades to attack Xander. Xander retaliated with a dark bolt of energy from Siegfried, but Tharja darted away quickly. Meanwhile, Robin was enduring attacks from Peri, while getting constantly healed by Priscilla. Eventually, Robin blasted her backwards with his Ignis, orange flames pulsing off Robin's body like an aura.

"Here's how it's done!" Robin unleashed a flood of flaming ravens onto the field, bombarding Xander, Peri and the maid with intensely powerful magic. Peri shielded Xander and took the brunt of the attack, falling instantly while the maid was incredibly weakened. The Strategist galloped forward, launching a blast of Gronnwolf towards Robin, but Olivia danced for the tactician and allowed him to escape. The dancer dashed forward, Silver Sword in hand and cut down the Strategist before quickly retreating. Tharja dueled with the sword-wielding Hero, narrowly dodging his Killing Edge swings because of Darting Blow.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Tharja laughed maniacally as she blasted the Hero down with a Moonbow-powered Rauðrblade. Xander managed to regain his footing and charged at Robin, his Siegfried glowing with hot red light.

"Down on your knees!" Xander shouted as he slammed the sword into Robin's side, making it erupt in a bright flashing light. Robin staggered away from the attack, clearly blinded by the light. Xander managed two more hits on the tactician, only living because of Triangle Adept. Robin eventually regained his sight and fell back towards us. Priscilla healed Robin up and Olivia danced for the tactician while Tharja distracted Xander. When Robin was ready to go, he advanced on Xander, opening his Blarraven. Before he could close the distance however, Xander landed a lucky hit on Tharja, sending her to the ground with a large gaping wound on her chest.

"No!" Robin quickly rushed forward and took Xander's finishing blow while Olivia danced for Tharja to get away. While Priscilla healed Tharja's wounds, Robin faced down the crown prince of Nohr, his tome ready.

"Checkmate!" Robin glowed with orange fiery light and blasted a stream of flaming ravens towards Xander. Xander countered with a blast of dark energy from his sword, blocking the ravens with his Blazing Light-infused blade.

"You're right where I want you!" Xander galloped forward after Robin's attack ended and brought down his Blazing Light Siegfried onto the tactician, but Robin wouldn't allow it.

"You're right where I want YOU!" Robin blasted Xander in the face with Elthunder, then fired a cloud of Blarraven as Xander staggered away.

"GAHHHH!" Xander couldn't resist the magic much longer and got blasted off his horse, the divine blade Siegfried flying into the air. As it landed and planted itself into the floor, I knew the fight was over.

After Tharja announced that she killed Laslow thanks to Olivia's dancing, Xander reappeared without his Siegfried. I quickly explained to him the situation in Askr.

"Well, this is a sudden revelation" Xander took the news more calmly than I thought he would "So you're saying that once we leave through the portal, another Xander would take my place to fight Corrin and the Hoshidans?"

"Based on what me and Robin know of, yes" I replied, glancing at Xander's Silver Sword. He's going to need a bit of investment to reach his full power "Rest assured. Once we leave, it'll be like this battle never happened"

"I place my faith in you then" Xander smiled "You remind me of one of my own siblings actually. Corrin himself"

"Oh? In what way?" I asked, taken aback by the comparison.

"You are both charismatic leaders with the ability to inspire others to join you" Xander acknowledged "That look in your eyes tell me you're telling the truth about all of this. From our duel alone, I can tell you aren't lying. Thus, I place my trust in you"

"Oh, thank you Prince Xander" I was pretty shocked by his words, but took it in good faith "Glad to have you on my side"

"Glad to be of service to you. Allow me to formally introduce myself" Xander straightened his posture "I am Xander, crown prince of Nohr and the wielder of the divine blade Siegfried. I hope to see you mete out justice"

Coming back to Askr, I found another notice in my mailbox. Opening it up, it was a notification for ANOTHER Voting Gauntlet. This time, it was Male Mages vs Female Mages, with Robin, Leo, Merric and Henry representing the males and Tharja, Julia, Sanaki and Linde as the female mages. I groaned, not wanting to do another Voting Gauntlet, but it was for the feathers. I was getting close to 20 thousand feathers and I planned to use it on Xander.

"It won't be long before Saria sends me another letter huh…" I murmured under my breath as I looked through the box for more mail. I decided to join Team Julia this time around, as I've grown fond of the young Jugdali mage after fighting and learning about her. She was afraid to disclose details about her past to me though, only confining in Seliph, so I had to earn her trust a little more. Heading to the Voting Gauntlet with her would be a good time to do that. There wasn't anything else to pick up from the mail, so I left to the library for some reading.

 _Later into the night…_

Xander walked down the hallway, leaving his steed in the stables nearby the castle. It was long after dinnertime and Xander finally had the comfort of rest after a long while. Xander blinked the sleep out of his eyes. Once he hit the pillow, he'll be out. But a familiar voice called behind him. A voice that Xander tried to avoid.

"Prince Xander"

"Prince Ryoma"

Xander turned and faced the red armored samurai, who was crossing his arms. The two princes silently stared at each, making no effort to reach for their weapons. Both of them understood that Nohr and Hoshido weren't enemies here.

"Prince Ryoma. Surprised to see you here" Xander began. He didn't want to end the night on an awkward note.

"Yes, I was summoned here by Lucian" Ryoma was tense. Xander can see it. He was ready to reach for his weapon should Xander attack.

"Did you want to ask me something?" Xander tried to lighten the air around them, but said air couldn't be cut with a knife.

"If you would like, I want you to meet me outside by the lake" Ryoma said "I want to ask you a few questions regarding Nohr"

"I see then. I will come on one condition" Xander said, making Ryoma raise an eyebrow.

"I want you to come without your Raijinto"

"And how can I trust you to not sneak along a knife?"

"Prince Ryoma, please relax. I will not resort to such an underhanded tactic of fighting"

"I can see through your lies like they were thin air. You Nohrians LIVE on underhanded tactics to win!" Ryoma growled.

"I intend to prove you wrong then" Xander said sternly "I will accompany you to the lake and will leave my Silver Sword in my room. Search me if you so wish, but I will not bring any weapons"

"Hmph, very well. I will hold you to your words then" Ryoma stared Xander in the eye "I will see you there"

"Very well"

A few minutes later, Xander found Ryoma gazing out to a dark lake in the night. Crickets sung as Xander walked, his heavier Paladin armor making audible noises in the night. Ryoma turned, his arms still crossed and posture still tense.

"Prince Ryoma, I'd like for you to loosen your guard" Xander said calmly as he approached "Hoshido and Nohr aren't enemies here. We have no reason to fight, therefore we have no reason to be hostile"

"I came here for one purpose and just need one talk" Ryoma said sternly "What caused Nohr to attack Hoshido?"

"If you asked me that question before, I wouldn't have the time to explain" Xander answered "But now I have all the time in the world to tell"

After Xander explained, Ryoma's slightly loosened up, his arms becoming uncrossed and his tense air disappearing.

"So you invaded Hoshido to raid our supplies?" Ryoma asked "Why didn't Nohr just ask us to provide aid?"

"My father did, but your father either didn't hear or refused" Xander replied "We were sinking further and further into poverty. Even the royalty couldn't sustain themselves comfortably"

"I can't believe my own father would refuse giving aid to someone…" Ryoma muttered "It's hard to believe, but please, continue"

"Father grew increasingly frustrated as the years went on" Xander continued "His own mistresses were fighting among each other for the position of queen of Nohr. Their own children were dragged into this civil war. Including me"

"..." Ryoma gestured for Xander to continue.

"Many of my potential half brothers and sisters were killed, either assassinated or poisoned by the other children" Xander said absently "I met a couple and all of them didn't want to fight, but were forced to by their parents. Seeing this, my father snapped"

"What did he do?"

"He declared that he'll go to war with Hoshido to raid their supplies, cursing them for hoarding all of it while Nohr stayed in poverty" Xander replied "So that's why Prince Ryoma. That's why we declared war on Hoshido. Your own selfishness was about to collapse a kingdom on top of itself. We had no choice!"

"I… see" Ryoma was slightly shaken up by the tale. It was hard to believe on paper, but the passion in Xander's words spoke the truth. They weren't simply invading because they wanted to. They invaded in order for them to live. For their citizens to live.

"I need time to think about this. Thank you for the insight Prince Xander" Ryoma said, giving Xander a small smile.

"I hope this will make you reconsider your choices if we go back to our worlds" Xander replied "But while we're here, I hope to be able to be friends with you. Corrin HAS painted us to be similar people after all"

"Well, you aren't wrong" Ryoma began walking back to Askr castle, crunching twigs along the way "We can talk later tomorrow. Let's see if Corrin is right about us"

"Very well Prince Ryoma"

As the two princes left, the Corrin twins came out from behind a tree, grinning to each other as their missions both ended in success.

 **And that's Xander's Grand Hero Battle! I modified the battle a little to take place before Xander's chapter in Birthright to make it a little more interesting. I also incorporated Olivia's Dance more into the battle since a review on Zephiel's GHB pointed out that Jeorge mentioned Olivia's dance, but it wasn't used at all (thank you for pointing that out). This chapter's "Later into the night" segment focuses on Xander and Ryoma discussing what was the true purpose behind the war between Hoshido and Nohr. I hope you enjoyed some Fates lore building. Anyway, coming up next is the Male Mages vs Female Mages Voting Gauntlet along with Chapter 11: Rite of Shadows. As always, thank you so much for the favorites, follows and reviews. Until next time, fellow summoners!**

 **Also I completely take back my word on the World of Shadows chapter, where I said that Alm was the worst Falchion lord. His refinement is INSANE. I wish I had an Alm now...**


	27. Voting Gauntlet: M Mages vs F Mages

A Summoner's Journey

Voting Gauntlet: War of the Mages

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 1:**

I sighed as I packed my things for the upcoming Voting Gauntlet. Honestly, I disliked going there because it took me away from all my friends in Askr. Sure, I was able to bring one, but conversing with one person for six days straight makes me feel lonely. Oh well, at least I had Saria to look forward to. Since Julia was one of the competitors, I brought Julia with me to the gauntlet to support her. Ever since reading Jugdrali history books, I've been intrigued by the young light mage. I figured the gauntlet was a good way to know about her. I finished stuffing my last item into my travel bag, the same Judgrali history novel and left my quarters.

"Seliph… I'm going to miss you while I'm away at the gauntlet" Julia said as she packed her own travel bag provided by Anna.

"Me too Julia. Promise me that you'll be safe" Seliph replied as he helped his half sister pack, scavenging around for backup Rexcalibur tomes "To be honest, I'm rather uncomfortable being unable to watch over you"

"I'll be safe Seliph. I'll be fine on my own" Julia smiled at the Grannvalean prince "To speak the truth, I don't trust that summoner Lucian very much…"

"Julia, you shouldn't distrust him. He's done a lot and been through a lot for all of Askr" Seliph put his hand under Julia's chin, stroking it gently "Plus, he's an ordinary man from another world. Nothing like us or the other heroes. He can do you no harm"

"I suppose you're right" Julia replied, shifting from foot to foot "I guess I haven't been very trusting since Manfroy abducted me in Miletos"

"You have every reason to have post traumatic stress, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't trust people Julia" Seliph said "Especially not a man like Lucian"

"I know" Julia nodded "Still, I'll miss being with you"

"Ah, so we're back to that huh?" Seliph laughed "Looks like you're done packing. You ready to go?"

"Yes, I think I am" Julia shouldered her bag and gave Seliph a warm smile "What are you going to do while I'm off?"

Seliph shrugged "Perhaps just converse with Lyn and Robin. Both of them remind me so much of Shanan and Oifey"

"I hope Lucian can bring them into Askr someday" Julia replied "Along with Lana, Larcei, Ulster, Diarmuid and Lester"

"Hopefully Lucian can summon all of our companions into Askr" Seliph said wistfully "But that's going to be a long while from now"

"Yes, you're right. I'm just wistfully thinking" Julia shrugged "Anyways, it's time for me to meet Lucian in the lobby. I'll be back soon Seliph"

"And I will await your return. Stay safe"

"You too"

 _Later..._

The matchups in the gauntlet were as followed: Tharja vs Linde, Julia vs Sanaki, Leo vs Henry and Robin vs Merric. I knew for certain that Tharja would win due to well… more than two things.

"There's a lot of people going down Tharja's hallway" Julia noticed, clutching her Naga tome in her arm "Why is that?"

"Well uhm… have a good look at her" I gestured to a summoner's Tharja that was resting in the arena lobby. I stared at Julia, waiting for a reaction. I got nothing.

"I… I don't see anything noteworthy" Julia replied.

"Umm… how do I put this…?" I cupped my hand under my chin "The majority of the summoners here are male and Tharja's… _sexy_ so to say"

Julia gasped, then blushed "Oh… oh yes of course. Let's uhm… let's go into the arena"

"Right" I didn't want to be around a horde of horny summoners either, so I quickly registered myself as part of Team Julia and headed through the hallway into the arena. On our side was a Hana and Cordelia while the enemy team was Jaffar, Lucius and Lyn. I paired up with the Hana user and charged towards Jaffar and Lucius with Hana and Julia. Cordelia took the skies, preparing to strike down Lyn.

"The end is near" Jaffar threw two Deathly Daggers with expert accuracy towards Julia, but Hana jumped in and knocked them aside with her large Armorslayer. Julia advanced on Jaffar and opened her Naga tome. Before Jaffar could pull another knife, Julia erected a bright flash of light, blinding the assassin and Lucius.

"Away with you!" Julia chanted the incantation of Naga and a gigantic ghostly dragon rose out of the ground. The dragon roared, a ball of light forming in its mouth and it blasted the light sphere down onto Jaffar, throwing him to the wall. Lucius rushed over to heal Jaffar with Rehabilitate, but Hana swiftly cut the healer down. Lyn dashed towards the exposed Julia, since Hana left to deal with Lucius. Before Lyn could reach Julia though, Cordelia dived down and stabbed the swordswoman in the back. Twice even because of Cordelia's Brave Lance. With all the enemies down, I deposited 50 battle flags and left.

"I'd like to ask you something Julia" I said as I turned to the young mage, fiddling with her Naga tome "You seem to only converse with Seliph and not try to get along with the others. Can you tell me why?"

Julia took a deep breath and steadied herself "S-sorry Sir Lucian. I'm afraid I can't tell you now. To be frank, I don't completely trust you yet…"

"That's alright Julia. Trust is earned through time" I expected some of my heroes to not trust me eventually, so I was already mentally prepared "But may I ask, what makes you not trust me?"

"Oh no, it's nothing about you Sir Lucian" Julia stammered "I just… have trouble trusting people in general. I really only talk with Seliph and Sakura in Askr"

"Seliph I can understand since he's your brother, but Sakura?" I asked "Why her over everyone else?"

That came out harsher than I intended.

"It's just that… Sakura reminds me of one of my only friends back in my world. She was a young cleric named Lana. She's the daughter of Seliph's adoptive mother, Edain" Julia replied.

"Oh, I see. I noticed Seliph hanging out with Lyn and Robin regularly. Do you know about that?"

"Seliph is with those two because they remind him of his "adoptive brother and father" so to say, Shanan and Oifey"

I looked at Julia dumbfounded "Lyn's a girl and I'm pretty sure Shanan's a guy. How does Lyn remind Seliph of Shanan?"

"Shanan is the prince of Issach, a country of swordsman" Julia explained, flipping through her Naga tome absently "He had major Odo holy blood, which meant he could arm the legendary Balmung sword. Seliph probably saw Shanan's skill with the blade in Lyn"

"That makes sense" I noticed Julia twitching a little in her shoulder "Why are you twitching though?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm probably just tired" I saw through that lie all too easily, but I decided not to press. It was better that Julia trusts me before I could get her to open up.

"You can take a nap if you'd like" I said, getting up from my chair and leaving my book on a table "I'll be down at the buffet for dinner. I can bring up a meal for you if you wish"

"No no, you don't need to help me Lucian" Julia cracked a small smile "I'll pick up my food after I rest"

"Alright then. See you in a bit"

 _Later..._

"I'm starting to hate the heroes they picked to participate in the gauntlet" I muttered as Saria smirked in front of me "There's always one fanservice character. In this case, Tharja"

"Realistically though, Tharja's attire makes a lot of sense" Saria's companion for this gauntlet, Merric thought aloud "I heard that she's a dark mage from Plegia, a desert-like region. She wears as she does to block the desert heat"

"And last time I recall, you're from the desert region of Khadein" I said, pointing at Merric's robes "Yet you look like you're going to the Ice Dragon Shrine"

Merric looked hurt "The robe is made of thin linen, so it's easy to move around in and doesn't absorb heat as much as regular clothing"

"That's also why your clothes rip so easily" Saria added while she nibbled on a bread roll "I had to mend your robe how many times now?"

"Six. These robes were meant for ease of movement in the desert along with allowing the user's magic to flow as freely as possible" Merric explained "It wasn't made for protection"

"Your clothes got ripped so much that it's basically nothing but stitches of cloth" Saria said, smirking.

"It's fine for me because I'm a man" Merric continued "But you wouldn't believe how many times Lena had to mend Linde's dress. The enemy soldiers umm… had some ideas"

"Ideas you shouldn't tell us" I knew exactly what those men wanted when they cut Linde's clothes "Anyhow, you said that you wore thin linen robes to move easier in the desert, but what did you mean by "allowing the user's magic to flow as much as possible"?"

"It's complex, but I'll try to describe it the best I can" Merric picked at the edges of his robe "Controlling and harnessing magical spirits to your command means you must be one with the natures of anima"

"Which means…?"

"The anima spirits dislike their wielders being tainted with non naturalism" Merric explained "Which means they don't obey those wearing leather, armor or any sort of material farmed from nature"

"That's… odd" I suddenly heard Julia's voice behind me as she sat down beside me with a plate of food "I've seen many armored men wielding magic. There was this baron in the Manster District who could wield the legendary Mjolnir tome"

"Really now? Do you know anyone else like that?" Merric asked, intrigued.

"Yes… just let me think" Julia took a bite out of a piece of chicken "My father, Arvis of Velthomer was the Emperor of Grannvale. He wore strong, regal armor and wielded the exalted Valflame"

"Arvis of Velthomer… wielder of the Valflame" Merric murmured under his breath "I would love to meet him someday"

"You're going to have to wait for me to summon him then" Saria smiled "But please continue Julia. This is pretty interesting"

"Seliph told me of a faction of Freege's Gelban Ritter" Julia continued "It was a legion of generals wielding lances and thunder magic"

"I see… maybe the magical spirits of your world are different from mine…" Merric said thoughtfully "Thank you for your insight Julia. Do you mind if I ask more questions?"

"Of course. I'd like to help whenever I can" Julia replied and the two mages continued talking while me and Saria finished up. At least here, I could see Saria and talk to heroes I haven't summoned yet.

So Voting Gauntlets weren't all bad.

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 2:**

As far as scoring went, Team Julia held the lead over Sanaki. Tharja was beating Linde (no surprise there), Leo winning over Henry and Robin holding the score advantage over Merric. After a quick arena battle, me and Julia headed back to our stateroom to rest.

"Julia, I want to ask you something and you don't need to answer if you are uncomfortable" I said as Julia turned to face me "You were twitching yesterday when you told me about Lyn's skill in the sword being comparable to Shanan. Can you tell me why?"

Julia sighed "It's not Lyn that made me twitch. It's just… I…"

"Julia, you don't need to do it if you aren't feeling comfortable, but I want to know if you trust me"

"Seliph told me I should"

"I think you should decide for yourself if you can trust me, not just because Seliph told you to"

"Yes, you're right…" Julia relaxed herself "I realized that you've done so much in service to Askr and I have no reason to not trust you. Do you mind if I…"

"Go ahead. I'm curious to know"

"The actual reason why I was twitching yesterday was because talking about Shanan wielding the Balmung reminded me of my brother" Julia explained.

"Seliph?"

"No, no, Seliph's my HALF brother" Julia corrected "My actual brother, Julius was a good, earnest boy, but then… he… he killed…"

"Julia, take a deep breath and relax" I said in a soothing tone.

"Forgive me Lucian. I… I can't…"

"It's okay Julia. Just tell me when you're ready" to be honest, I was anxious to know what Julia's true past was, but I didn't want to pressure the mage to dig up bad memories. I had to consider my own troop's feelings after all.

"Do you mind if I take a nap for a while? The fight in the arena left me a little…" Julia yawned "Tired"

"Go ahead. That Caeda knocked you down hard in the last fight" I pulled out my novel from my bag and opened it up "Don't worry. I won't make a peep"

As Julia slept, I continued reading the Jugdral history book. It was rather generalized and didn't elaborate much on the members of Sigurd and Seliph's armies themselves. There wasn't any inside sort of information with the army's members, so I assumed it was written by a scholar after the war. I flipped the page to the final chapter, where Seliph's army was preparing to battle Julius, the prince of darkness and vessel of the dark god Loptyr.

"Beginning from Chalphy, Seliph's army charged onwards towards their first opponent, the infamous Wall of Edda" I murmured to myself as I read. Julia suddenly started twisting and turning more often. Oblivious to this, I continued reading.

"As Seliph's army defeated Hilda of Freege and her Gelban Ritter, Prince Julius employed the twelve Deadlords to defend Belhalla. He also sent out the Weissen Ritter led by the "Goddess of Thunder" Ishtar to engage Seliph's troops on the road to Belhalla" I continued to myself "As this was happening, Archbishop Manfroy of the Loptyr Church released his weapon from the confines of Velthomer. Having brainwashed the young mage, Manfroy ordered her to attack Seliph. This mage's name was…"

"AAHHHHHHH!" Julia suddenly screamed and jerked up in bed, scattering her blanket. I dropped my book in surprise.

"Julia, are you alright?!" I fretted over the mage, checking to make sure her breathing was right. I read in a book that sudden surprise from a nightmare can stop a person's heart. I wanted to make sure Julia's breathing and pulse was at least normal.

"S-sorry for scaring you Lucian. I… I had a nightmare" Julia quivered and I hugged her gently, whispering comforting words.

"Can you tell me what it was?"

"I… I dreamt that I was back in Chalphy facing my father. He had such a pained and sad expression on his face as Manfroy took me away. I cried to him, yelling his name, but he couldn't do anything. Then…" Julia sniffled, then began to cry in my chest "Manfroy… he… he told me he's going to do what he did to my mother. He brainwashed me and commanded me to attack Seliph. I… I couldn't control my body. I screamed inside myself to try and break it, but nothing worked. I never felt so… hopeless…"

Julia continued to cry on my white robe, staining it with tears. I didn't mind though.

"Before Manfroy brainwashed me, he restored my memories too" Julia said "I… I saw my brother Julius grasping the tome of Loptyr from Manfroy and turning into a devil of a man. I saw him murder my mother. When he turned to me with his dark purple eyes, I knew I was done for. I would die at the hand of my brother. But with the last of her strength, mother warped me out of the castle, where a green haired man found me"

"So that's why…" I patted Julia's back "You didn't want to share this with me because you didn't trust me. You disclosed it because you were afraid of digging back bad memories"

"Y-yes and I'm so sorry!" Julia sobbed "Now you know! I'm the sister of the dark god Loptyr! You know the truth now, so just hate me!"

"Julia, Julia, just relax" I said soothingly, letting the mage sob into my chest "It's never right to hate someone just because someone related to them did something bad. You are your own person and you aren't ensnared by your relative's sins"

Julia stayed quiet, so I continued.

"I read a book from a ex-Loptyr mage named Salem" I began "He said that the children of Loptyr followers were burned at the stake like all other Loptyrians simply because of their ancestors"

"That… that's horrible…" Julia murmured.

"I can understand why Manfroy wanted to do all of this. He wanted a world where everyone can live freely without persecution or prejudice. Most of all, Manfroy wanted his fellow Loptyrians to be able to live freely and be able to see the sun and feel the wind" I continued "To that end, Manfroy would do anything to ensure a future like that"

"My father also wanted that" Julia replied weakly "He told me once that he desired a world free from racism and conflict. He too was disgusted by children being burnt at the stake simply for being Loptyrian"

"The main point here Julia is that you don't need to be afraid to trust anyone in Askr" I said, cracking a smile "Nobody's going to care how shady your past is or what heritage you have. We are all equals fighting for the same cause and that means we shouldn't distrust each other"

"Yes… you're right Lucian. You're right" Julia let go of me and wiped her eyes "Both me and Julius's fate were made off of just lineage. I'm scared if whatever took hold of Julius takes hold of me again but…"

I let Julia continue after she relaxed.

"I can take heart in one thing now" Julia looked at me in the eye and smiled "You comforted me when I needed it and you gave me good advice. I can now fully believe that, should something possess me, one word from you can bring me back to my senses. I trust you Lucian"

"That's good to hear" I smiled back at her and got up from my chair "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes… is it time for another arena battle?"

"Yep it is. Are you sure you're okay?"

"You're starting to sound like Seliph now" Julia giggled "I'm fine Lucian. You don't need to worry about me now"

"Very well. Let's go then"

 **Voting Gauntlet Day 6:**

After my heart-to-heart with Julia, nothing else interesting happened in the gauntlet. After the first round ended, it was Tharja vs Julia and Robin vs Leo. Naturally, Julia lost and Robin defeated Leo. I joined Robin out of revenge against Team Tharja while Saria joined Tharja after Merric was defeated. Just before midnight when the gauntlet would end, I entered into the arena one last time, despite having zero flags.

"I want to fight against Saria at least once" I murmured as I entered the arena alongside my teammates with a Spring Lucina and Hector. Coming in from Team Tharja was a Merric, Tharja and Azura. I glanced at the summoner with the Merric and recognized her immediately.

"Well, colour me surprised" I smirked as I quickly assessed the matchup. Spring Lucina can easily take down Tharja while Julia and Hector can handle Merric and Azura. I inherited Green Tomebreaker from Henry to Julia, so Julia could shred Merric's Excalibur. We didn't take a long time to size each other up and just charged in.

"Lucina, cover Julia in the center and protect her from Tharja!" luckily, the girl with Spring Lucian was smart, sending Lucina to protect Julia as she advanced towards Merric.

"Merric, aim Excalibur at Lucina!" Saria called and Merric opened his Excalibur tome, conjuring a ball of razor sharp gales in his palm.

"Excalibur!" Merric blasted a wave of blue wind towards Lucina, but Julia leaped in and absorbed the attack nicely. Tharja flanked from the right and called down Rauðrblade+, sending a cluster of red swords onto Julia. However, Lucina fired a strong bolt of lightning from her Blue Egg+, disrupting Tharja's spell. Merric fired another Excalibur wave at Lucina, but Julia held her ground and opened Naga, readying an attack. But before Julia could fire, I saw Azura singing for Tharja out of the corner of my eye.

"Julia! Pull back!" but it was too late. Tharja dashed with re-invigorated energy and fired down Vengeance-powered Rauðrblade+, burying Julia in a storm of magic. When the dust settled, Julia fell her her knees and faded away. With Julia gone, Merric shot Excalibur at Lucina with nothing to stop him. Lucina managed to dart away thanks to Swift Sparrow, but all her dodging couldn't give her the time to attack Tharja. Thankfully, Hector came to the rescue.

"Enough chit chat!" Hector absorbed a Excalibur from Merric and threw his Armads in response. The legendary axe tore through Merric's body, leaving him on the ground with a giant cut across his chest. The Armads returned to Hector's hand and it's Quick Riposte effect activated, allowing Hector to throw it again, cleaning taking Merric's head off and defeating him. Sadly, Tharja snuck up from the side and ended Hector in a single blow. This gave Lucina the time to activate her special, Moonbow.

"I say when winter ends!" she called and shot a strong bolt of lightning towards Tharja, melting her magical defenses because of Moonbow. The Plegian dark mage fell to the ground and faded away too. Dancers/singers weren't fit to fight, so Lucina easily cleaned up Azura too. With all my flags gone, I left the arena and went back to the hotel to retrieve Julia.

"That was quite an interesting match between us" Saria commented as Team Tharja cheered when the announcer announced their victory "I didn't think Julia had that much magical resistance"

"She's practically immune to magic, but falls if anything resembling a weapon hits her" I said, smiling "Everyone has to have weaknesses after all"

"True. And even that resistance couldn't save Julia against Tharja" Saria added "I got some urgent business to handle in my Askr, so I gotta go!"

"Alright, see you next time" I said as she ran off with Merric "Write me soon!"

I decided to take my leave too, since they was no point staying after Tharja won. I packed my things and left through the dimensional tunnel with Julia. When we arrived back in Askr, Seliph literally crashed Julia in a hug. I smiled at the two and decided to leave them alone. I needed rest anyways. I set down my pack, climbed into bed and fell asleep.

 _Later into the night…_

"Julia! I'm glad you came back safe!" Seliph said as he hugged Julia tightly.

"Me too Seliph. I missed you" Julia replied, trying to remember Seliph's scent and warmth before he let go.

"Ah, you must be tired now" Seliph took Julia's bag and looped his arm around her "I'll take you to our room for you to get some rest"

"Yes… sleep. That sounds…" Julia yawned "... good"

Seliph led Julia to their room, which they shared because they were siblings. Seliph watched over Julia as she slept, since he wasn't very sleepy himself.

"Hey Julia" Seliph leaned in and whispered to the sleeping mage "Do you trust Lucian now?"

"... Yes" Julia murmured in her slumber "He… doesn't care that I'm Loptyr's sister. He said that he… doesn't care how shady someone's… past is and what heritage they… have. He's a good person"

"Askr's lucky to have him" Seliph replied "I think his outlook is what Emperor Arvis strove for back in our world"

"I'm worried that Lucian will… suffer the same fate as father" Julia mumbled "But for now… we should enjoy his… peaceful order for as long as we can…"

"A world where all can live freely" Seliph said "That's a good and noble goal"

"Yes… it's what father and Manfroy strove to create"

"Manfroy? What do you mean by-"

"Seliph, I want to sleep. Stop talking to me"

"Ah, sorry about that. I was about to go to sleep as well"

"Goodnight then Seliph"

 **So this VG chapter is focused on Julia and Seliph, mostly Julia though. I'll probably create a expanded late-night-conversation between Julia and Seliph in the future, as this one was rather short. Next up is Chapter 11 of the main story: Rite of Shadows featuring Celica, Boey, Mae and Genny from Shadows of Valentia. After that is everyone's favorite Heroes art screw up: Lloyd. As always, thank for you all the favorites, follows and reviews. Until next time summoners!**


	28. Chapter 11: Rite of Shadows

A Summoner's Journey

Chapter 11: Rite of Shadows

 _Team for this chapter: Xander, Ryoma, Robinne and Robin_

The day Embla invaded the World of Shadows again was tiring, but Alfonse, Sharena and Anna were all riled up and filled with hope, though I had no idea why.

"What's with you three?" I asked as I stepped up to the pavilion with the two Askr thrones "Why are you so excited?"

"Priscilla just so happened to pick up a gem in the World of Radiance a while ago" Alfonse explained "She gave it to Robin, who then passed it to Anna to see if it had any value. Anna then found out it was a sending stone!"

"A sending what now?"

"Sending stone Lucian" Anna showed me a beige jewel, reflecting the morning light around the room "It can be used to communicate to someone from far away"

I distinctly remembered the sending stones from Tellius history books. The army that has formed to battle the goddess Ashura's Disciples of Order used sending stones to communicate with each other when they split off.

"So you're planning to use this sending stone to…"

"Talk to Zacharias of course" Anna replied "Normally, the person we want to talk to also needs a sending stone, but I heard performing a certain magical ritual in the World of Shadows can allow Zacharias to hear us, even if he's asleep!"

"That's fantastic, Commander Anna!" Sharena cheered "What are we waiting for? Let's talk to Zacharias right away!"

"Hold up Sharena. There's some bad news" Alfonse intervened, making Sharena glower "Embla has invaded the World of Shadows again, but has taken over eastern Zofia this time. We won't be fighting Alm and his team this time"

"Then who are we up against?" I asked.

"No clue. Let's grab a team of four heroes, then depart" Alfonse nodded towards me and I left towards the barracks. Recently, I promoted Xander to five star rarity, so he was now part of the elite five star heroes, alongside Robin, Lyn, Seliph, Julia, Klein, Priscilla, Lucius and Ryoma. Anna somehow paid a group of construction workers to build a private suite above the barracks to house the five star heroes. As I walked up the wooden staircase leading to the suite, I considered who I wanted to bring. Xander was obvious since I just promoted him and wanted to see him in action, Ryoma because both princes were becoming fast friends, Robin because he's always reliable and Robinne just to support her brother and fill the green slot of the team.

"Xander, Ryoma, Robin and Robinne!" I called, my voice echoing through the now-empty suite. Anna built it to house much more five star heroes than just eight. Xander yawned as he closed to door of his room.

"What's all the ruskus Lucian? It's early morning" the Nohrian prince reminded me.

"I'm sorry for disturbing your slumber, but Embla attacked again" I informed Xander as Ryoma, Robin and Robinne began trickling in from their rooms.

"Alfonse, Anna and Sharena want to head to an arcanist's abandoned manor to perform the ritual?" Robinne asked, wiping sleep from her eyes "What for?"

"Priscilla picked up a sending stone in the World of Radiance and passed it to Anna" I explained "Anna said she could use the sending stone in the World of Shadows to communicate with Zacharias"

"Last time I've heard of Zacharias, he said he was deep in the Embla Empire" Robin cupped his chin "But I remember that the target needs a sending stone to hear the user's voice"

"That's why we're heading to the World of Shadows" I said, spreading my hands "We're going there to liberate it from Embla as well as perform the ritual. Anna says there's some old forbidden magic lingering in the manor that can allow us to communicate with Zacharias without him having a sending stone"

"Sounds good then" Robin leaned against a wall "Mind if we grab breakfast first? You DID just wake us up"

"Of course. I'll give you an hour and a half" I nodded and we left the suite towards the mess hall.

While I was talking with Jeorge and Seliph over breakfast, Anna came over and handed me a light brown leather bag.

"Alfonse realized that pushing the wheelbarrow was inconvenient for you, so I commissioned an "Orb Bag" for you" Anna said, handing me the bag "It's imbued with magic, so it's bigger than it actually looks. Take good care of it!"

"I will. Thank you Anna" I nodded and strung the bag over my shoulder. It was lighter than I thought it would be. Probably because I didn't have anything in there.

"You look like a delivery man now" Jeorge said jokingly as I sat down again, picking little crumbs off my muffin.

"I wouldn't want to receive my mail from a man wearing all white and in a hood" Seliph joined in teasing me.

"Hey come on, it's not ALL white" I brushed my hand over a yellow pattern of my robe "White and gold"

"A delivery man in a hood still looks creepy" Jeorge snickered "Trick or treat"

I groaned, pushing my hood down to reveal my true face to Jeorge and Seliph. Ever since receiving the robe from Anna months ago, I never showed my actual face to anyone except for Alfonse, Sharena, Anna and Saria. Now I was wondering why.

"My, my, I've been here for so long and haven't seen your true face Lucian" Jeorge smiled slightly, extending his gloved hand "Nice to meet you. I'm Jeorge"

I decided to play along and shook his hand in turn "I'm Lucian"

Seliph looked at both of us, dumbfounded "You already know each other"

"Well Seliph, have YOU seen Lucian without his hood on?" Jeorge returned to his scrambled eggs "He's much more different than I thought him to be"

I blushed "What did you think I'd look like?"

"Hmm… muscular, handsome, chiseled and perfect" Jeorge said without stutter. Both me and Seliph stared at the blond archer strangely. My mouth began to move, but Jeorge silenced me by lifting his finger.

"Ha ha, you know I jest Lucian" the sniper laughed "I actually expected someone confident, fearless and commanding. Yet seeing you now… I feel an aura of serene calmness"

"I can feel it too" Seliph nodded in agreement "One of my friends, Diarmuid has that same quality. I think he inherited it from his mother, Lachesis of Nordion"

"Lachesis of Nordion… she was that blonde cleric girl on the Sibling Bonds banner, right?" I wonder aloud "The one next to Eldigan?"

"Yeah, her" Seliph nodded "My… adoptive mother per se, Edain told me that Lachesis inspired others and made them fight better on the battlefield with her presence alone. You have that same quality Lucian"

"Good to know" I smiled "Anyway, I should finish my breakfast quick. I'm going to take Xander, Ryoma, Robin and Robinne to the World of Shadows again"

"We won't disturb you any further then" Jeorge replied, taking a bite from a piece of bacon "You're going to liberate it from Embla, I assume?"

"Yes and apparently, Embla has invaded the east now" I said, stabbing my fork into a waffle "Which means I won't be fighting Alm and his party anymore"

"Hmm… we can expect a summoning banner to come soon right?" Seliph asked.

"It's likely. If it comes while I'm in the World of Shadows, I want either one of you two to pin it onto the message board for me" I gobbled the rest of my waffles and was prepared to deliver my plate to the kitchen for washing.

"We'll keep a lookout for it" Jeorge nodded "Best of luck on the expedition Lucian"

"Thanks Jeorge and see you Seliph!" I waved as I dropped off my plate and left the mess hall. Twenty minutes later, we were facing the World of Shadows portal, with Xander, Ryoma, Robin and Robinne at behind me.

"Just a warning you guys" I said as I faced my four heroes "We aren't going to face the same heroes as we did before when we went in the first time. Robin knows what I mean"

"He means that we aren't going to fight Saint King Alm I and his party" Robin explained "The Emblians have invaded eastern Zofia, so I surmise we'll end up on the island of Novis"

"Does anyone in particular inhabit Novis?" Xander asked.

"As far as I know, Novis is home to a priory that houses orphans and teaches them magic" Robinne said "So if we were the end up there, it wouldn't be a surprise to find magic users"

"I'm trusting you two to handle those mages then" Ryoma crossed his arms "Me and Prince Xander aren't so resistant to spells"

"We'll do what we can" Robin nodded "Anyway, shall we go?"

"Whenever you guys are ready" I replied and jumped through the portal. My four heroes followed me in shortly after. We ended up in a graveyard on an island, with the afternoon sun shining down on us. An old looking building stood on the coastline.

"That must be the priory Robinne said about" Xander observed, drawing his Siegfried from its sheath "We should be expecting an attack now"

The sound of wings flapping echoed through the empty graveyard, signalling other enemy troops to come from the priory. The first two was an Emblian Sword Fighter and Lance Knight. Following them was a red haired lady wearing regal white attire and a smaller girl with puffy pink hair wearing a plain pink dress. The redhead held a new red and orange tome, pulsing with waves of fire while the pink-haired girl named Genny held a staff. The pegasus knight who just landed on the island was Est.

"My name is Celica . I'm a childhood friend of Alm and I… don't want to fight you" the red hair mage said sadly "Sadly though, it seems I cannot resist this contract. I'm sorry. All I can do is fight, and pray that your strength will be enough to free us"

"We'll do our best" I nodded "Everyone, let's go!"

I sent Xander and Ryoma over to the right side of the graveyard to counter Celica and Genny. The Robin twins were sent down the center and left to attack Est and the Emblian soldiers.

"Just a quick word Lucian" Robin pointed to a patch of stone in front of us "The square of stone right in front of us is a "defensive tile". It provides whoever stands on it a layer of protection against physical or magical attacks"

"Robin, are you sure you aren't going off some rumor? That sounds…" I was cut off when Robinne stepped onto the defensive tile to block the Emblian Lance Knight. The knight thrust his Silver Lance+ onto Robinne and a think blue shield blurred into existence, absorbing the brunt of the blow. Robinne came out of the attack with only a minor cut.

"Gronnwolf!" Robinne fired two giant wolf heads that ate away at the Lance Knight, dissolving him into thin air.

"Okay, new plan of strategy" I said, noticing Est soaring downwards to attack Robinne "Robin and Robinne, take advantage of the defensive tiles in the center to wall out the enemy. Hold your ground and fire back when you have the chance!"

"On it!" the twins said in unison and joined each other on the tiles. Est vaulted onto Robinne with her Heavy Spear+, but the magical shield was nigh impenetrable. Est's strong lance thrust only made a tiny hole in Robinne's collar.

"Bet you didn't see that coming!" Robin pulsed with bright orange flames and thrust her hand forward, blasting a Ignis-powered Gronnwolf at Est, smashing her out of the sky. The Sword Fighter came at Robinne with his Killing Edge+, but Robin protected his sister, using his body as a shield. The weapon triangle advantage plus Robin's Triangle Adept plus the defensive tile meant that the Emblian's sword literally bounced off Robin's coat. The Sword Fighter backed away in surprise before Robin unleashed a flood of ravens towards him. The soldier stumbled, trying to resist the waves of magic, but failed, collapsing onto the ground and fading. Meanwhile on the other side of the graveyard, Xander and Ryoma dealt with Celica and Genny using their legendary blades.

"You're right where I want you!" Celica sidestepped Ryoma's lightning bolt and jumped right into Xander's shadow bolt, blasting her to the ground. Genny ran to heal Celica, but Ryoma was faster and cut the healer down in a single cut. Celica tried to stand, invoking the spell of Ragnarok, but Xander cut the mage down with Siegfried. With all the enemies down, we advanced to the next battle.

"It seems like the heroes of this world is already in control of Embla" Robinne observed while we were thinking of how to get off Novis. Xander opened his mouth to speak before I heard the clopping of a horse nearby. I whirled towards the sound and saw him. Bruno, the prince of Embla.

"You again? I tire of meeting like this" Bruno sneered as his hand began to open the pages of Valaskjalf.

"Prince Bruno. What are you doing here?" I asked politely.

Suddenly, Bruno shut the tome of Valaskjalf and pressed his hand against his forehead, as if experiencing a headache.

"Prince Bruno?!"

"Guh… leave now…" Bruno groaned, struggling to remain atop his horse "Get in my way and I'll… kill you…"

"Wait! What are you talking about?" I called before Bruno was enveloped in a circle of yellow light. The mage knight warped away.

"Damn. What was that all about?" I turned to my heroes, but they looked just as confused as I was.

"We can worry about it later" Robinne said "Ryoma spotted a ship coming to Novis. Maybe we could attack and force the crew to take us to the mainland of Zofia?"

"I'm surprised nobody's objecting" I replied as the ship sailed closer "Given that we're seizing a ship like a bunch of pirates"

"Believe me, I don't want to do it" Xander muttered, feeding his horse an apple "But I don't see any other way to get to the mainland"

"We thought of everything, but seizing a ship is our only option" Ryoma added "I hope you're okay with it Lucian"

"Of course. Whatever it takes to see this through" I nodded as the ship hit the coast of Novis and dropped the gangplank "Looks like they're inviting us in"

"A trap for sure" Ryoma rested his hand onto the Raijinto "But nothing we can't handle"

"What's a crew of pirates able to do to us?" I grinned "Come on, let's go"

We boarded the ship, but weren't being faced by pirates. Instead, there was an Emblian Lance Knight, Archer and Sword Fighter. Next to them was a pink haired mage who wore her hair in pigtails named Mae. The second one was a tanned man with short white hair and wore a green mage robe, who was named Boey.

"Well… so much for pirates" Ryoma said as he drew his Raijinto from its sheath "Looks like we're confronting more Emblians and World of Shadows heroes"

"At the very least, we're fighting the right enemies here" Xander drew Siegfried and prepared for battle "I'd rather not cut down innocent people, even bandits, if we weren't intending to"

"Robin, bait out the archer on the left side of the ship" I ordered and the tactician walked over, drawing the archer over to him. The bowman fired his Silver Bow+ at Robin, but as usual, Triangle Adept plus Blarraven made him near immune to arrows, daggers and staff magic. Robin deflected the arrow effortlessly with a wall of Blarraven+, then sent it over to the archer. The wall of magic slammed into the soldier, defeating him instantly. Robinne dealt with the Lance Knight easily, taking him down in two Gronnwolf shots. Mae dashed over, opening a new tome I haven't seen before. The cover had the spread wings of an owl while the top, spine and back was covered by a golden metal wing.

"Blarowl!" Mae shouted and her tome buzzed with blue light. A stream of tiny birds burst from the tome, bombarding Robinne with a strong line of magic. However, due to the tome's weak nature and Robinne's triangle advantage, the female tactician didn't take much damage from Mae's attack. Robinne countered back with Gronnwolf, shredding Mae's Blarowl with Blue Tomebreaker. This gave Robinne another opportunity to launch Gronnwolf, taking down Mae. Boey came next, Gronnowl in hand. As a Sword Fighter accompanied the tanned mage, Robinne tagged out, letting Xander and Ryoma do the fighting.

"I ask for your assistance, Prince of Nohr!" Ryoma thrust his Raijinto into the air, unleashing a discharge of electricity towards the enemy team. All of them fell to their knees, crippled.

"And you shall have it, Prince Ryoma!" Xander galloped forward on his horse and took advantage of the enemy's stun, beheading every one of them with Siegfried. With all the enemies on the ship defeated, we continued onwards.

"Does anyone know how to operate a ship?" I asked as my heroes sheathed their weapons "Because I think we killed anyone who could"

"I know how to operate a ship. I could get us-" Xander began but got cut off when bright yellow circles of magic appeared under our feet.

"Wuh- this is a Warp circle!" Robin cried in surprise. Before we could figure out how to escape, the Warp circle closed around us in a pillar of golden light, sending us to god knows where.

We reappeared on a mountainside, with a large hill separating our party in two. Me, Robin and Ryoma were on one end and Robinne and Xander were on the other. Robin and Ryoma's side were littered in defensive tiles.

"Ugh… where are we?" I asked aloud as the wind howled all around us "The Warp magic… took us to a mountain?"

"Fear Mountain to be exact" Robin said, checking our surroundings "It's a mountain in southern Rigel, the region above Zofia"

"Fear Mountain" I repeated "Sounds like a fun place"

"The real question is who warped us here?" Ryoma drew his Raijinto in case enemies were around "Whoever sent us here has the intent of ambushing us"

"I think you're right Ryoma. The enemy could use the mountains around here as cover to attack from behind" Robin's gaze shifted to the hill separating us from Robinne and Xander. Suddenly, Ryoma tensed and stared ahead of us. I followed his gaze and found a battalion of Emblian soldiers led by Celica.

"Well… so much for a mountain ambush" I said dryly as Robin and Ryoma stood in front to protect me.

"Lucian, stay back and retreat to the defensive tiles" Ryoma ordered "There isn't a lot of room to move around, so you should take any protection you can"

"You two should head to the defensive tiles as well" I said as the Emblians began approaching "There's too many of them for you two to rout them. It's also too narrow of a space to pick them off one by one. We have to hold out"

"I agree with Lucian" Robin nodded, pulling his Blarraven+ from his coat pocket "We're separated from Xander and Robinne, so our firepower is lower than usual. Let's hold out and wait for them to retreat"

"Understood. Let's just hope Robinne and Prince Xander are alright…"

Meanwhile, Xander and Robinne noticed the battalion heading towards Ryoma, Robin and me.

"I want to help, but charging in is just going to get us killed" Xander bit his lip as he scanned the battalion heading towards the left "Robinne, what's our best plan of survival?"

"I say we should hold out and wait for the enemy to retreat but…" Robinne clutched her Gronnwolf tightly "I want to help Prince Ryoma and my brother. If you don't mind Prince Xander…"

"As long as it doesn't put us in any danger, I'll follow any plan you or your brother makes" Xander smiled at the female tactician, causing her to blush.

"Right, so I was thinking of us creeping towards the Emblian battalion…" Robinne pointed at the legion of soldiers below the mountainside "We'll pick them off one by one to thin out their numbers. They'll split up to attack us and Robin's group, which means they'll be easier to handle"

"Good idea. Let's hurry before they reach Ryoma's group" Xander mounted his horse and drew Siegfried, charging down the mountainside. The sound of galloping alerted the Emblians and they split, half the legion charging towards Xander. Mae was part of that group heading for Xander, so Robinne stood behind the cavalier and blasted Mae down with Gronnwolf. Xander blocked the entire battalion with his armored horse, shrugging off attacks left and right. Mae occasionally sent down a hailstorm of blue spiritual birds, but Robinne shattered the magic easily.

"Down on your knees!" Xander's Siegfried glowed with hot orange light and he slashed it down onto an Emblian Sword Fighter, unleashing Blazing Light. The flare of light blasted the mob in front of Xander to shreds, turning them all to heaps of ash. An enemy Palla ambushed Xander from the side with her Ruby Sword+, but Xander tanked the hit easily and retaliated, killing Palla in two hits thanks to Quick Riposte.

"Prince Xander! Get back!" Robinne shouted as small wisps of fire spiraled around Xander's body. The wisps of Ragnarok. Xander quickly darted away as the wisps hit the ground, erupting in an inferno of fire. Xander countered by raising his sword, shooting a strong blast of dark magic towards Celica. However, the blast was deflected by a red shield.

"It's the same red shield Ike had!" I stopped Ryoma from attacking Celica with a lightning bolt and shouted across the mountain range "Xander! Get away from Celica! She can't be killed now!"

Without hesitation, I heard Xander galloping back to his original position, wary of Celica pursuing him. However, Celica didn't move as more Emblians warped in out of nowhere and continued attacking us. Ryoma and Robin fended them off, retreating to the defensive tiles when they began to be overwhelmed. The mob of Emblians kept getting bigger and I started wonder where Veronica got all these soldiers after she exhausted half her army back in the attack in Askr. Eventually however, the reinforcements stopped when I saw a pillar of light rise in the sky. Celica has warped away.

"Xander! Robinne!" I yelled "Attack the Emblians from behind!"

While Ryoma and Robin walled the Emblian mob swarming us on the defensive tiles, Xander and Robinne ran as fast as they could to catch them from behind. Before long, Xander's Siegfried began slicing away at the Emblians while Robinne's Gronnwolf took down row after row of soldiers.

"May your blood crust my blade!" Ryoma's Raijinto blazed with electric blue lightning as he jumped in the air, mercilessly slashing apart packs of Emblians with Astra. Both Robins activated their specials at the same time, tearing away at Emblians with the power of Bonfire and Ignis. After, all the Emblians were defeated and Celica has retreated.

"So… now what?" I asked to clear the air. We sat down to rest and regain energy "Is there a way out of here?"

"Me and Xander noticed something while crossing over the mountain range to help you" Robinne said, tucking the tome of Gronnwolf back in her pocket "It was a circle of golden magic. I think it's a warp panel"

"Where do you think the warp panel will take us?" I asked.

Robinne shrugged "No idea. No better way to find out than to try"

"It could lead us to another ambush" Ryoma warned "Are you sure you want to do this Lucian?"

"Xander, scout the mountain and look for another exit" I ordered and the cavalier trotted off. A few minutes later, Xander returned, reporting that there weren't any other exits aside from jumping off the mountain.

"The warp panel is our only option" I said, getting up "Come on, let's go everyone"

We each took turns using the warp panel, teleporting to god knows where. I was the last to go in. I stepped into the veil of magic, closed my eyes and let the magic send me off into the unknown.

The warp panel deposited us onto another boat, with two small bridges connecting us to another ship next to us. The enemy ship had an Emblian Sword Fighter along with Boey, Mae, Genny and Catria as our enemies.

"Another boat battle… how original" I muttered as I ordered my heroes into position. I sent Ryoma and Xander to the left side to deal with the Sword Fighter and Boey while the Robin twins fought Mae, Catria and Genny.

"Blarraven!"

"Gronnwolf!"

Robin and Robinne cast their spells in unison, flooding the enemy with a swarm of spiritual ravens and a green wolf head. The two magics smashed hard into Mae, Catria and Genny. Catria and Mae fell instantly, with only Genny surviving due to her high resistance. Genny retaliated with a blast of Gravity, pinning Robin to the ground, but Robinne finished the cleric off. Xander and Ryoma effortlessly defeated Boey and the Sword Fighter, routing the rest of the enemies. We found a warp panel nearby the stern of the ship and teleported to the next battlefield. We arrived back onto Fear Mountain, but this time in front of a large, desolate mansion.

"Looks like this is the arcanist's manor" I said, pulling the sending stone from my orb bag. Since I was only allowed four heroes into a world at once, Anna entrusted me with the stone to contact Zacharias. I agreed, seeing as I owed him for saving me back in the World of Radiance.

"This means you can perform the rite?" Robinne asked as she peered at the manor suspiciously, as if checking for enemies.

"This is the spot apparently" I nodded "We need to get inside the manor and use the leftover traces of magic as a catalyst to communicate with Zacharias"

"Wait Lucian" Ryoma put his Raijinto over me protectively "I sense enemies around"

On cue, a familiar mage knight came riding towards us.

"There...you are. Now...die... I...will kill...you all" Bruno said sinisterly.

"Something's clearly wrong with Prince Bruno" I said as my heroes prepared to defend me "He's not even the same person"

"I will kill you!" Bruno shouted "You first, summoner of Askr! DIE!"

Bruno cast Valaskjalf towards me, but Robinne pushed me out of the way and took the magical attack easily. Ryoma lunged forward, stabbing Bruno with his katana. The mage knight stumbled, but regained his composure, despite being just stabbed through the rib cage. Xander followed up Ryoma's attack, swinging his Siegfried downward onto Bruno's face. He dodged and cast Valaskjalf, encasing Xander in a cube of ice. The cage of ice exploded, sending Xander staggering backwards.

"This is the end!" Bruno attacked again, but Robinne shattered his spell with Gronnwolf, heavily damaging the Emblian prince.

"You have breathed your last!" Ryoma glowed with a light green aura and leaped into the air, slashing Bruno to pieces with Astra. The mage knight held steady against Ryoma's assault due to his triangle advantage, but eventually succumbed to his wounds when Robinne followed up with Gronnwolf. Bruno fell off his horse and faded into nothingness.

"Don't rest just yet everyone. I saw people inside the manor" Xander warned as Robinne treated his wounds with the first aid kit I carried in my orb bag. He came out of Valaskjalf with somewhat serious puncture wounds surrounded by frost. It took a bit of time to steady Xander's condition and have him able to stand up. Once that was done, we charged inside the manor. Inside, Celica, Mae, Boey and Genny were waiting for us. A short brawl ensued, with Robin and Robinne dealing with Mae, Boey and Genny while Ryoma and Xander attacked Celica. Once they were dealt with, we climbed to the manor's second floor, finding a stone monument with swirling traces of magic around it.

"I suppose this is the catalyst for our sending stone" I said as I set the beige crystal onto the monument "Now I need to read the incantation…"

I produced a piece of parchment paper from my orb bag, the incantation written by Anna "With all thy heart, yearn for me. With all thy voice, call to me. Zacharias of Askr, call to me!"

The sending stone glowed white hot, the swirling purple words of magic spinning faster around the monument. The light held for a brief moment, then died down. The magical ring of magic returned to it's normal speed.

"Zacharias? Can you hear us?" I said quietly.

No response.

"Zacharias! Are you able to hear me?!" I called, a little louder this time.

No response.

"ZACHARIAS! ARE YOU HERE?!" I shouted at the stone.

Nothing. No voice, no shift in the wind. Just me shouting at a stone while my heroes watched in silence.

"You're wasting your breath"

The exact voice I didn't want to hear echoed from beside me. I turned to see Bruno strolling towards me, not at all acting like he was before.

"Prince Bruno. What are you doing here? Unwounded as well" Ryoma asked.

"That is nothing of your business. I only desire to speak to Lucian" Bruno replied flatly, Valaskjalf tucked in his arm.

"What do you want Bruno?" I said, with a hint of anger in my voice. I had to go through all these life-threatening battles to have the damn sending stone not work. I was understandably a little frustrated right now.

"Shout all you like. You won't get a response from Zacharias" Bruno's tone was monotone, informing me simply of the facts.

"And why is that, may I ask?" I glared at the Emblian prince.

"Anna told you the rite wouldn't fail and that it'll work so long as Zacharias is alive, right?"

"Yes…"

"That's the problem then. "If""

I took a step back "What do you mean?"

"He stuck his nose into things he really should not have" Bruno smiled lightly "Right before I came here... I killed him"

"You… you killed Zacharias!" I balled my hands into fists "Everyone, attack Bruno and kill him!"

"One last word Lucian" Bruno smile grew more sinister as a warp circle began glowing under his feet, blowing everyone backwards "The next time we meet, I'll send you all to Zacharias. You, Alfonse, Sharena and Anna. One by one. Look forward to it"

And Bruno disappeared.

We returned to Askr in dour moods, due to unsuccessfully contacting Zacharias. It was hard relaying the news of Zacharia's death by the hand of Bruno to Alfonse, Sharena and Anna. Alfonse and Sharena excused themselves to go cry while Anna simply nodded and kept a serious face while I explained the story. Tired from the expedition today, I headed towards the bathhouse to have a nice relaxing bath before taking a nap.

"What in the world is going on in Embla…?" I wondered out loud.

 _Later into the night…_

"You're quite skilled in the bow, aren't you Klein?" Jeorge shot another arrow towards the target, hitting a bullseye. Klein nocked another arrow and fired, taking the head of a dummy with it.

"Well, I had my mother teach me when I was young" Klein replied as he drew another arrow from his quiver "They say that learning things young instills the skill into the child's blood"

"You wouldn't be wrong on that Klein" Jeorge laughed as he shot another arrow, hitting the outer ring just outside the bullseye "Ah, rusty shot there"

"Who taught you archery Jeorge?" Klein asked as he lined up another shot "You seem to be quite the expert on the craft"

"I'm self taught actually" Jeorge replied "I suppose it's my natural skill that landed me the title of "best archer in Archanea""

"The best archer in Archanea…" Klein repeated "That's quite a high honor"

"Believe me, it's hardly true" Jeorge brushed it off "Most of the things you might hear about me from the others is only my family trying to spread rumors to gain fame. They are despicable filth"

"Well, I'd wager that your archery skills are second to none" Klein smiled "So you have that going for you"

"I suppose" Jeorge shrugged "But simply being the best isn't enough. There is always more for learn"

"I like your attitude" Klein's smile dipped slightly "Although I must ask: What do you mean by your family being "despicable filth"? Do you hate your family?"

"You could say that" Jeorge said as he fired another arrow "My family were nobles and had no such talents except for me. They used my accomplishments in order to bring in fame and recognition to them"

"Wouldn't you be proud of bring honor to your family?"

"They used me more as a tool than an actual child" Jeorge replied "They had me marry a noblewoman named Midia. Fortunately, both of us knew we weren't for each other so we just… divorced per se"

"And was your family furious for it?"

"Oh yes, very much. But I didn't often stay home" the blond archer explained "I'm a runaway nobleman so to speak. I spend a lot of time outside in towns or villages. I know more of the commoner life than the noble one"

"I think that makes you a good nobleman" Klein nodded "Knowing the ways of the common man makes you much more down-to-earth and easier to speak with. Had I not known you were nobility, I would of assumed you to be a mercenary sniper"

"That assumption wouldn't be far off" Jeorge aimed his last arrow carefully, then fired, landing it on the bullseye exactly "That seems to be good enough practice for today"

"Let's take a break for now. Fire a bow too often and you'll find yourself with a bad shoulder" Klein advised.

"Yeah, you're right. Hand me a bottle of water, would you?"

 **And that's the Rite of Shadows! Part 2 was too short, so I decided to just combine it together with part 1 and re release it. Coming up next is Lloyd's Grand Hero Battle along with the Bridal Blessings paralogue. Ryoma and Xander's quotes on the Mae and Boey boat map is taken from Fire Emblem Warriors. As always, thank you for the follows, favorites and reviews. Until next time fellow summoners!  
**


	29. Grand Hero Battle: Lloyd

A Summoner's Journey

Grand Hero Battle: Lloyd

 _Team for this chapter: Nino, Robin, Abel and Klein_

Not long after the expedition in the World of Shadows that ended in failure, I headed towards the summoning ruins with the latest summoning postcard in hand, titled "Rite of Shadows" featuring Celica, Mae, Boey and Genny. All the heroes I fought in the World of Shadows not too long ago.

"I'm only aiming for Celica on this one. We already have Robin, Robinne and Nino for blue and green mages, so we're in dire need of a strong red mage" I told my two escorts, Seliph and Julia along the way.

Seliph raised an eyebrow "What about Tharja? I've been hearing people praise her for being such a strong dark mage"

"Yeah, but have you seen what Tharja is wearing? I can never get comfortable with her around" I replied and Julia nodded in agreement "Plus, she's has a bizarre tendency to stalk Robin wherever he goes. It annoys Robinne and creeps out everyone else"

"So… what are you going to do with her?" The lord asked.

I shrugged "Might keep her around in case I don't summon Celica today. If I DO get her, Tharja's probably going to be sacrificed for her Rauðrblade+ tome or Darting Blow"

Seliph winced "I'm still uncomfortable about the whole sacrificing heroes for skill inheritance. What happens to the hero when you kill them off for skills?"

"They simply get sent back to their regular timeline as if I never summoned them at all. Simple" I replied and Seliph's doubtful expression didn't change.

"How do you know that Lucian?"

"Anna told me and she's basically the head of intelligence in the Order of Heroes"

"And how does Anna know?"

"Seliph, let's just drop this topic altogether. You're just going to confuse me, Lucian and yourself at this point" Julia interrupted and Seliph sighed.

"So since we're being sent into the unknown when sacrificed for skills, are all of us heroes prisoners in Askr?"

"Come on Seliph, prisoner is too harsh of a word to describe Askr" I gestured around myself "What kind of prison lets "inmates" freely walk around the castle, interact with their "warden" and protect the mastermind of this "prison" as he walks to summon more inmates?"

"Fair enough. I'll stop asking about it then" Seliph flicked a lock of blue hair out of his face "Besides, it's not me, Julia or any of my friends being sacrificed for skills, so I shouldn't worry, right?"

"Seliph's just worried about what would happen if you had to sacrifice me or him for skills. Don't worry too much about it" Julia told me in a low tone.

"Believe me, I was confused as well when Anna described it. Like most of the interdimensional shenanigans in Askr, I say "Accept and don't question it"" I shrugged "Anyway, here we are at the summoning ruins"

I slid the Rite of Shadows postcard into the slot on the floor as usual and the entire ruin lit up with blue light. The five dimmed orbs blazed to life, three orbs red, one orb blue and the last orb grey. The first two red orbs netted me a Selena and Fir. I planned to sacrifice Selena for Reposition and Fir for Glacies. Who I was going to give the two skills to, I had no idea. The blue orb gave me a Cordelia and the grey orb got me Lachesis. Only one red orb left.

"Well, these are the last three orbs I have at the moment. Let's pray to the goddess of luck that Celica comes" I latched three orbs into the Breidablik, pointed it at the final red orb and clicked the trigger. Blinding white light was unleashed from the orb and when the glare cleared, I grinned with joy at the sight I was given. Stepping off the summoning altar was the Caring Princess Celica herself.

"I am Celica, a priestess. Though I'd rather avoid bloodshed, I am prepared to fight if I must" Celica introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you Celica. I am the summoner of Askr, Lucian" I caught Celica staring at the tome in her hand strangely "Is something wrong?"

"I just find it strange how I have to cast Ragnarok by tome now" Celica replied, flipping through the pages of her tome absently "I've never done it before, so that's why I was staring at this tome while you introduced yourself. My apologies, by the way"

"What are you talking about Celica? Did you cast magic without a tome in the World of Shadows?" Julia asked curiously.

"Yes, I did. Back in my world, all magic spells were cast by hand at the cost of the the user's blood. Every spell we cast puts a strain on our bodies, physical and spiritual" Celica explained "I wonder if…"

Celica opened her Ragnarok tome and gestured us to stand back. Everyone stood far away from the fire mage as wisps of flame began gathering around Celica's hand. Seliph pushed a decently large boulder nearby into the ruins for Celica to test on.

"Ragnarok Omega!" Celica shouted and a wreath of wisps rushed in front of the priestess and began spinning rapidly around the boulder. Once the wisps collided together, a roaring inferno burst from underneath the boulder, burning it to nothing instantly. Everyone stared at Celica in awe after the fire died down. Nobody has ever shown more destructive magic besides Nino.

"Hmm, I don't feel anything. Maybe- Gah!" Celica dropped her tome in surprise and grabbed her wrist. Julia helped Celica take off her glove and we found a thin bleeding cut on her skin.

"Don't fret too much. It's nothing serious" Celica took her glove back from Julia and wiped up the escaping blood "The sudden pain just caught me by surprise"

"So everytime you cast Ragnarok, you hurt yourself in the process due to drawing the magic directly from your blood?" I asked, staring at the charred spot on the floor where the boulder once was.

"It seems like it. I don't see the point of this tome if Ragnarok operates normally" Celica took a deep breath and picked up her tome "Let me try it again just to see it's other effects. The pain I felt from Ragnarok is much less than usual, so there may be more"

"Go ahead. There's some trees outside the ruins you could torch" I said and Celica shook her head.

"I'd rather not risk a wildfire in the field if I do that. Another rock will do" The priestess replied and I nodded, gesturing to Seliph to find another boulder to use. The lord skulked in disappointment, but went outside the ruins anyways with Julia on his heels. Not long after, he returned with another rock for Celica to fry.

"Ragnarok!" Celica called and once again, the ring of fiery wisps circled the boulder before colliding together and erupting a column of flames from underneath. This time however, the flames were less intense and when the roaring bonfire died down, charred bits of rock littered the ground as opposed to the complete disintegration of the last boulder.

"I see now. So when I'm in perfect condition, Ragnarok is at its strongest and also hurts me like magic in my own world does. But if I have any sort of injury like this cut here, Ragnarok is weaker but doesn't harm me" Celica closed her tome and removed the glove on her injured wrist "Your name is… Lachesis, right? Can you please heal my hand?"

"Of course. Physic!" Lachesis's staff glowed briefly and the cut on Celica's wrist vanished. The warm orange glow emitting from the Ragnarok returned now that the fire mage was in top form.

"Anyways, we should be making our way back to Askr Castle since all my orbs are gone" I said, then turned to Celica "Celica, go talk to the man with short blue hair and wearing gold and white armor. He can explain to you everything here in Askr"

"Much appreciated Lucian" Celica smiled "By the way, is there anyone else from my world here?"

I shook my head as I took back the Rite of Shadows postcard "Sadly no. I tried to summon from the World of Shadows postcard for Alm, Lukas, Faye and Clair, but none of them came by"

"Oh… that's unfortunate" Celica sighed "So I'm all alone in this world, aren't I?"

"Don't say that. There's plenty of nice people here in Askr. Take it as an opportunity to make new friends" I said as we walked down the path back to to the castle "Me and you don't know how long you'll be here, so may as well forge new relationships while you can"

"I'll try to do that" The priestess nodded, then leaned in to whisper in my ear "It's just a hunch, but I wanted to ask: You know who I am, do you?"

"The summoning postcard referred to you as the "Caring Princess". You're royalty, aren't you?" I whispered back and Celica nodded "That explains your mannerisms and clothing"

"Do anyone else know this fact?" The fire mage asked and I shook my head.

"No. As far as I know, they only see you as the priestess with the most destructive magic tome they've ever seen in Askr" I replied and Celica giggled.

"Keep my secret safe, alright? I don't want this fact going around en masse" Celica said and I nodded.

"Consider your secret safe, princess" I whispered.

"Thank you. I feel that you are trustworthy, so that's why I asked about this. Looks like I was right" Celica smiled more brightly at me. Whenever she did that, I felt my face heat up, like Celica herself was radiating heat, not her Ragnarok. When we arrived back at the castle, my new heroes headed towards Anna's office to be assigned rooms in the barracks. Celica went off to explore the castle and find Alfonse.

"Hey Lucian! A new notice flew into the castle while you were gone!" Nino called, waving at me from Feh's mailbox. The sleek white owl cooed as Nino handed me the notice. I opened up the envelope and it was the postcard for Lloyd, the White Wolf's Grand Hero Battle.

"So we're facing Lloyd now, aren't we…?" Nino stared at the postcard in my hand with a mix of thoughtfulness and sadness "You know Lucian, Lloyd's my brother. I can tell you about his combat capabilities if you like"

"Sure Nino. I'm all ears" I nodded, although I largely doubted Lloyd and Nino were blood siblings, judging by the different skin tone, hair colour, face shape and everything "Lloyd doesn't look like your brother though. No offense, of course"

"Oh, I'm actually the adoptive sister of Lloyd and Linus. Sorry for not mentioning that" Nino apologized "But… Lloyd looks different than before. I remember his skin being less pale and having some prickly hair on his chin. Wait… that sword in his hand…"

"Noticed something Nino?" I handed the postcard to the mage for a better look and not long later, she nodded in understanding.

"That sword in Lloyd's hand is the Regal Blade. I think that sorcerer Nergal gave it to him when he resurrected Lloyd as a morph on the Dragon's Gate" Nino explained, handing the card back to me.

"So wait… we're fighting a zombified version of your brother and recruiting him into our ranks if we beat him?" I turned the card around to check if there was any indication "Wouldn't he just run around and bite people, making them zombies too?"

"Well… he has more expression than the common morph, so maybe he retained his morph look but kept his personality?" Nino guessed "I wish he didn't look like that though. Hugging him isn't going to feel the same…"

"I guess we'll sort it out once we recruit him" I flipped the card to the other side, where the map layout was drawn "Nino, I want you to be one of the units partaking in this fight. Is that okay with you?"

"That's fine with me!" Nino smiled "It hurts to strike down Lloyd a third time but… I'm past the misery and I know he'll come back if we win. Count me in Lucian!"

"Alright, alright, you're in" I laughed, patting Nino's head affectionately "Let me go strategize in the war room first. Meet me back in the lobby in… an hour and a half?"

"Okay! See you then!" Nino waved me goodbye as I headed towards the war room, postcard in hand.

"Let's see here… I can bait the bow cavalier over here and Robinne can strike the lance cavalier as he comes in to assist" Robin said as he traced his finger across the postcard, highlighting how the enemy may move "We can take an archer like Klein or Jeorge to shoot down the axe flier and another lancer to fight Lloyd"

"I requested Nino to partake in this fight and she accepted, so we won't need Robinne for this. She can deal with the lance cavalier easily" I said and Robin nodded.

"Alright, so we'll have me, Nino and Klein perhaps for the team so far?" The tactician glanced at Jeorge on the other side of the war table, who was casually picking at the limbs of his Silver Bow "Is that alright with you Jeorge?"

"One casualty means the failure of the mission, so you need to be 100% certain of the power of your troops. I'll gladly be outclassed if we're able to clear this in a more effective way" The archer replied and Robin smiled.

"I like the way you think Jeorge. Okay, so all we need now is a lancer to handle Lloyd. Who are our options?" The mage asked me.

"Our best option for a lancer is Abel" Robinne interrupted before I could reply "He's mounted so he can easily do hit and run tactics, he always strikes twice thanks to his Brave Lance and he has Swordbreaker to shatter Lloyd's blade. He's the perfect unit to take him on"

"Then it's settled then. Me, Nino, Abel and Klein to take on Lloyd's Grand Hero Battle. All in favor?"

Everyone nodded.

"Alright everyone. Take an hour to eat lunch and then meet me in the lobby. We'll be departing to the World of Blazing from there" I said and everyone streamed out of the war room towards the mess hall, definitely hungry after a morning of strategizing, training and shopping. I wasn't too hungry myself, so I grabbed a blueberry muffin and a cup of hot chocolate from the leftover breakfast buffet and headed to the castle gardens. Ryoma and Kagero were casually walking the path in between two long columns of flowers, Kagero taking in the scenery like she was finding inspiration for an art piece. Nino and Maria were making flower crowns nearby, with Sophia watching over them with a light smile.

"And here are the castle gardens, where most heroes go to unwind, talk and relax with others" I heard Alfonse's voice from the garden's doors and saw that he was giving Celica a tour of the castle.

"Hey Alfonse! You explained everything to Celica yet?" I called from the bench I sat on and Alfonse nodded before continuing his tour. Celica took it all in silently because she was too busy marvelling in the scenery to reply. She was even more enamored by the sights than Kagero was.

"Hey Lucian! You got a little time on your hands for something?" I heard Fir's voice beside me and I gently sat down my hot chocolate cup to face her. Sheathed on her hip with her usual Killing Edge (which told me this wasn't the three star Fir I summoned earlier) and she held two wooden, blunt-tipped training towers in both hands. I understood what she wanted immediately.

"You want to spar with me? Isn't there like, fifteen more heroes more competent than me in swordplay?" I took the training sword from Fir anyways and got into a self-made stance. I used to do swordplay myself back at home, but I've never actually fought someone else with a blade.

"There are and I sparred with all of them. Ryoma, Lyn and Navarre are all amazingly strong swordsmen and beat me, but I managed to defeat Eliwood and Alfonse before. I tied with Lon'qu and Seliph" Fir replied, getting into her own stance "I want to spar with Xander and Chrom, but both of them are out in the castle town today, so you'll have to suffice"

"Alright then. Go easy on me, alright? I have to command another Grand Hero Battle in an hour" I said and Fir nodded.

"I'll try my best. Let's go!"

Needless to say, Fir destroyed me. I didn't practice with my own sword at home for ages, so my strokes were too slow and predictable. Even if it was a wooden training sword, it still hurt like hell when Fir slammed it into my leg. She dodged every attack I thrown at her like a dancer and then thrusted towards my chest, knocking me and my sword to the ground. Before I could rise, Fir held her blade at my neck.

"Yield?"

"I yield" I held my hands up in surrender as the swordswomen retracted her blade from my neck. My entire body felt sore from the match, but Fir looked like she enjoyed it, so I was happy nonetheless.

"Thanks for the match Lucian. Although… I'm pretty sure I embarrassed you in front of a lot of people" Fir rubbed the back of her head sheepishly "I could tutor you in swordplay if you'd like. Then you can join in the battle with us!"

"Thanks for the offer Fir, but being the "legendary" summoner and main tactician of Askr is a lot of work" I replied, glaring at the other heroes who came to watch the sparring match to go away "I doubt I'll have the energy to train with you after a day of work"

"That's alright. You can come to me whenever you feel like having a go at it" Fir smiled brightly, then glanced past me "Oh, Xander came back. Good luck on the Grand Hero Battle by the way!"

And the swordswomen dashed off towards the Nohrian prince, who was taken aback slightly by Fir running at him with two swords in hand. I watched the scene with an amused smile, although I wondered what made Fir want to spar with me like that. It wasn't like I was good at swordplay and the offer came up out of the blue. Maybe Fir was just intrigued by me for a while and decided to make a move. I shrugged and headed back to the castle lobby. It was time to take on Lloyd.

"Everyone ready to leave?" I looked over my four heroes who were coming along with me, Robin, Nino, Abel and Klein. Robin casually flipped through his Blarraven tome while a faint yellow aura danced around his boots. I recently sacrificed a Matthew to give Hone Speed to Robin to expand his versatility and power up Nino, who's Gronnblade gets stronger the more boosts she gets. A similar red aura circled Nino, indicating her Hone Attack.

"We're all set to go. We're just waiting for you to give us the command" Robin smiled jokingly at me, closing his tome and sliding it into a specially-made case on his belt.

"Very well then. Off to the World of Blazing!" I grabbed the Lloyd Grand Hero Battle postcard off the castle mailbox and headed out to the portal courtyard with my four heroes. Strangely, the World of Blazing portal now showed an ancient-looking story in the ripples of water, like someone reworked the magic on the portal.

"That's weird. The portals didn't look like this before" Nino pointed to the World of Holy War's portal, which had an intricately-designed wheel shimmering in the light "Do you think Anna reworked the portal's magic to make them look better?"

"Who knows? Alfonse and Sharena claim that Anna is still full of mystery even to this day" I shrugged "Although I'm sure the portals still work like usual. Let's get going"

Together, we leaped through the World of Blazing's portal with the Lloyd card in hand. As we passed through dimensions and into a random timeline, the postcard glowed blue and we ended up in a mist covered battlefield with a river splitting the two lands.

"Ah, I remember this place. I was sent here to deliver another mission to Jaffar before treating his wounds" Nino pointed to the land right of us, which was shrouded in deep mist "I was staying in a rented house over there nearby a village"

"This place seems devoid of people though. I hear nothing but the wind and the rush of the river" Abel noted as he tightened his grip on his Brave Lance, as if waiting for an ambush "I hear and see nobody here, but I don't know…"

"Hmm… did the portal send us into a point of the timeline after Eliwood's army defeated Lloyd and moved towards the mountains of Bern Castle?" Robin wondered aloud "It would explain the lack of enemy soldiers around here"

"Then… how are we supposed to fight Lloyd and recruit him into our ranks?" I clutched the postcard as I peered into the mist as hard as I could. Still couldn't hear or see anything.

"Recruit me? You must be joking. You're the army led by the the pompous noble Eliwood, correct?" Someone said from the mist. I looked all around us in search for the owner, but I still couldn't see four feet ahead of me.

"Who are you? Come out of the fog and talk to me face to face!" I called and the voice laughed lightly.

"Talk to you face to face? An assassin doesn't show himself, nor even speak. I'm giving you a chance to discern my location right now" I could feel the voice come closer and a tip of a blade nicked the back of my neck "Though in this mist, it seems like you can't see me-"

"Lloyd! It's me, Nino!" Nino called and the point retracted from my neck in surprise. Finally, the voice showed himself in front of us, revealing a fair skinned man with short blond hair and sporting a stylish purple coat with green belts. In his hand was a menacingly black and sharp blade. Lloyd and his Regal Blade.

"Nino?! What are you doing here?" Lloyd's eyes darted to the rest of us "Aren't you supposed to be waiting in the house to give Jaffar his next-"

Suddenly, a pegasus knight holding a Silver Axe flew down to Lloyd and whispered something in his ear. Lloyd's expression soured instantly.

"So the strange occurrences continue it seems. First I chance upon this Regal Blade, next we recruit a battalion of highly talented soldiers and now we're fighting interdimensional invaders. Wonderful" Lloyd took a step back, gripping his new blade "Let's dispatch them quick and efficiently before Eliwood's army arrives. They'll be due here in half an hour according to the scouts. Go!"

The pegasus knight flew off to relay Lloyd's command to the other soldiers while the swordsman ran back into the fog. After he left, I turned to my own heroes.

"Really? None of you thought about attacking him and ending the fight then and there?" I pointed to a small cut on my neck where Lloyd's blade grazed me "He tried to impale my throat!"

"Well… I heard Nino was Lloyd's adoptive brother so I wanted to see if she could negotiate with him" Robin drew his Blarraven tome and opened it, letting faint blue light reflect off his face "Rest assured, we won't let that again. The moment we get into a Grand Hero Battle, we fight first and foremost"

"Thank you. At least you'll value my life more that way" I sighed, then peered into the mist "Looks like the fog is clearing away. We'll be able to get a better view of the battle this way"

When the fog cleared, we found the pegasus knight flying patiently above the nearby mountains while a bow cavalier, lance cavalier and blue mages were huddled in the right corner. At the fort's gate up ahead was Lloyd himself.

"Alright everyone, follow through with the strategy. Robin, lure out the bow cavalier by moving nearby the mountains, but avoid Lloyd and the axe flier. Nino, prepare to take down the incoming lance cavalier and Klein, stand nearby Robin to snipe the flier" I commanded and my heroes moved into action, moving into position like a well coordinated unit.

"What should I do Lucian?" Abel asked me.

"Stay a bit close to Robin, but not so close that the other soldiers see you. Be prepared to rescue him with your horse if things don't go as planned" I replied and the lance cavalier nodded. He made it to position just as the bow cavalier fired his first arrow at Robin. The arrow from the Silver Bow was glowing with the red aura of Death Blow, piercing Robin's wall of Blarraven magic quite easily and striking the tactician hard in the elbow. Robin ignored the pain and retaliated with a double blast of Blarraven courtesy of Quick Riposte, shredding the bow cavalier with ease. His lance cavalier comrade rode in to assist and Nino took him down while Abel pulled back Robin.

"Nino! Watch out for Lloyd!" Klein shouted as he let loose a double shot of arrows with his bow, clipping the axe flier. Nino was busy duelling with the blue mage and didn't notice Lloyd rushing towards her until Abel intercepted him with his lance.

"Back with you!" Abel pushed back Lloyd's Regal Blade with his Brave Lance and stabbed twice through his guard, piercing his chest. Lloyd staggered backwards, hacking up blood before Abel finished him off with a thrust to the heart, killing him instantly. Meanwhile, Nino deflected a Thoron bolt from the blue mage and willed a ring of magic swords to surround him just like Celica's Ragnarok. The swords collectively stabbed the mage in the torso, slicing him in half instantly. With the last enemy down, the battle was over.

"So you say the moment I leave this world to go to Askr with you, another Lloyd will take my place to continue the timeline?" Lloyd scratched his chin thoughtfully. A Silver Sword was sheathed at his waist, indicating his rarity "I find that hard to believe yet…"

"Yet..?"

"I have the strangest feeling that I can trust you. It's odd. I don't even know your name, origins and capabilities, yet I feel that I can trust you. Maybe it's the fact you have Nino at your side that makes me want to join up" Lloyd smiled at Nino warmly, who grinned back "So I'll take your word for it. Don't waste my talents now, yeah?"

"I'll do what I can. Welcome to the Order of Heroes Lloyd!"

 _Later into the night…_

"Lloyd! Lloyd! There you are!" Nino called as she caught up with the swordsman in the barracks "You finally got out of the explanations with Prince Alfonse?"

"Yes and it was a lot to swallow" Lloyd rubbed his forehead with a sigh "This entire world has air and physics completely different from our own and here we are in the center of it. It'll be hard to get used to"

"Not really. I got used to Askr pretty quickly myself. It's a wonderful place!" Nino reached into her pouch and brought out a hand mirror "But anyways, I want you to look at your reflection. You look different than usual"

"I do? That's odd" Lloyd took the hand mirror from Nino and stared at his reflection "You're right. I DO look different. Why is my skin so bleached out? My eyes are dry and wrinkled and my hair isn't as brightly blond. The stubble on my chin's gone too"

"You look like how you did when you became a morph" Nino said and Lloyd stared at her strangely as he handed the mage back her mirror "Oh… I suppose you don't know what a morph is"

"I've only heard rumors among the other Black Fang assassins. Whenever a soldier is newly dead, they reappear as if nothing happened" Lloyd scratched his head, as if searching for memories "However, they reappear with pale skin and usually don't say anything. Some would say it's post-traumatic stress from being captured but others claim they're being resurrected from the grave"

"They ARE being revived from the dead. You know my mo- Sonia?"

"That wit- woman "married" to my father? Yeah, I remember her"

"And do you know Nergal?"

"The sorcerer who does nothing for the Black Fang and just sits around in the shadows? That Nergal?"

"Yes, that Nergal. He's the one creating the morphs and created Sonia to take control of the Black Fang by marrying father!"

"I knew there was something up with that woman. Why didn't I realize it sooner?" Lloyd locked his hand into a fist "But if the whole morph creation is true, does that mean Nergal revived me as a morph after Eliwood's army defeated me?"

Nino nodded "We fought you alongside Linus and the other elite Black Fang at the Dragon's Gate. All of you looked like yourselves, but you all have pale skin and dry eyes. Like… you right now"

"That's strange. So if they were morphs, they usually don't speak, right?" Lloyd rubbed the hem of his coat with his fingers, as if testing to make sure his fingers didn't crumble.

"Some do, but the ones we fought didn't" Nino answered "So I guess you retained your look as a morph but still have the same personality as before?"

"I suppose that's the case. I'll have to work on restoring my appearance now" Lloyd sighed, then crouched down to Nino's height "Do you still love me as a brother, even if I look this… grotesque?"

"Of course Lloyd! You're still the same old you, so it doesn't matter how to look like!" Nino hugged Lloyd tight and he patted the mage's back in response "Although… you'll look a little repulsive to the others here so you might want to fix it up"

"I'll try. I don't know how I can restore my skin colour though" Lloyd touched his cheek "With all the strange wonders of this world, I'm sure I can do it someday"

"Maybe so. Okay, I'm going to be heading to sleep now, so see you!" Nino hugged Lloyd again, then bound off towards her room. Lloyd smiled and then headed off towards his own room.

"This world isn't so bad. I could get used to this" Lloyd thought.

 **So in case you're aren't following me, I'll explain myself. First of all, I'm not dead and neither is this fanfic. I've been spending most of my time writing a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky novelization and I usually like to complete a fic before moving on to another one. Because this Heroes fic will go on as long as Heroes remains alive, the same drive doesn't apply here. I'd like to apologize for leaving you guys without a chapter for so long and I have a lot of work to do now to catch up. If you like the story, favorite and follow so you can be notified when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time summoners!**


	30. Paralogue 6: Bridal Blessings

A Summoner's Journey

Paralogue 6: Bridal Blessings

 _Team for this chapter: Marth, Catria, Celica and Frederick_

The month passed to June and I was organizing the order's mailbox in the afternoon as usual when another notice flew into the lobby. I picked it up and pulled another summoning postcard out of the envelope. Written on the top was "Bridal Blessings" with Caeda, Cordelia, Lyn and a unrecognized blond girl all wearing wedding dresses.

"This is one strange banner. How do you even fight in that…?" I murmured before hearing footsteps behind me. I turned and saw Alfonse, Sharena and Anna coming into the lobby from the castle's right wing, which contained the mess hall, Anna's office and the library.

"The month passes to June and I hear those wedding bells already. The summoning banner just flew it, didn't it?" Anna nabbed the card out of my hand and stared at it "Hmm… I see! The festival is being held in the World of Mystery. The root and origin of all the other worlds here. Fitting place!"

"Is Embla invading or do we have to fight these brides for a prize like in the Spring Festival?" I asked uneasily and Anna stared at me with a sly smile "Oh no, not this again…"

"Yep! Whoever wins the tournament in this festival gets a ceremonial wedding bouquet, which is rumored to guarantee a perfect and happy marriage!" Anna grinned "This is no stuffy ceremony. It's a winner-take-all battle of the brides!"

"I never knew you were so interested in marriage, Commander Anna!" Sharena clasped her hands together excitingly "Don't forget to invite me to the wedding!"

"Who's the lucky guy anyways?" I asked dryly and Anna balked, throwing the card in my face "Ow!"

"I'm not marrying anybody! Once we win, I'm taking that bouquet to the auction house and selling it off" Anna explained "A guaranteed happy marriage for the rich chap and I- We'll be swimming in cash. It's a win-win!"

Alfonse slapped his forehead "I thought you had a secret boyfriend or something but no. Money is your main and only concern, as usual"

"Oh come now Alfonse. She's your commander. Don't be so condescending" I said and Anna nodded.

"Yeah! Our coffers are running empty anyways, so I have the perfect reason to want to sell the bouquet" Anna grabbed the hilt of her Silver Axe "I'm coming with Lucian to the festival. You two coming?"

"I got training tower quests to lead, so I gotta go. Ursula, Narcian and Gordin! It's time to go!" Alfonse called and the prince left towards the training tower with his three heroes in tow.

"What about you Sharena?" Anna asked.

"I promised to play and "supervise" Nino and Maria today since Sophia's out in the market with Eliwood and Klein to buy food" Sharena replied "I'm sorry Commander Anna, but I promised!"

"Fine. Me, Lucian and four available heroes will go to the festival then" Anna turned to me as Sharena left "You got anyone in mind?"

"I thought you said that only four heroes were allowed in a battle" I said.

"Yes, in a BATTLE. By your command, I will fight or not fight. You can swap me out with one of the heroes if you want" Anna explained "Now who's the four coming with us?"

"I think Marth, Catria, Celica and Frederick are a good team. Good balance of sword, lance, axe and magic" I replied.

"Ooh… Marth and Catria in a festival about brides. Now that's drama if I've seen it" Anna grinned deviously "Especially since Caeda's here too"

I stared at her strangely "What's up with Marth and Catria? I know Marth and Caeda are more or less married, but how does Catria… Oh"

"It's a feeling you're familiar with. Unrequited love" Anna smiled darkly "Oh, the drama's going to be so good. Marth and Catria are coming to see lovely Caeda in a wedding dress and Catria herself has forbidden feelings for our married prince! I love this stuff!"

"First of all, how do you know about my unrequited love history? I only told that to Priscilla" I pointed my finger at Anna "And second of all, you're being cruel to Catria. You should be feeling bad for her, not reveling in the drama this'll create"

But Anna was lost in her own thoughts "I have to make myself some popcorn for this. Go get those four and have them meet us in the lobby in twenty minutes"

I sighed as Anna ran towards the kitchen "What have I gotten myself into…?"

An hour later, we arrived in the World of Mystery. The portal deposited us in the courtyard in front of a church. Two pegasus knights were tending to their mounts outside the hedges and nearby the church's entrance were Bride Caeda and Bride Lyn.

"Good afternoon!" Caeda waved at us "Have you joined us today because you wish to become brides?"

"First of all, there are three guys here. Second, we're here for-" I said, but Anna cut me off.

"We're absolutely here for the contest. Now let's go to it already!" The redhead called and the enemy pegasus knights stirred, grabbing their weapons.

"My, you're an… enthusiastic one. But alright" Lyn snatched up her staff that was leaning on a tree "Me, Caeda and these two Macedon pegasus knights will be in one team, while you five are on the other. Ready?"

"Yep. Let's do this!" Anna drew her Silver Axe, then turned to me as Caeda and Lyn ran to rejoin their allies at the entrance "Okay, so who's sitting out for this battle?"

"I suppose Frederick can rest for the time being. After all, both of you are axe units" I turned to the axe cavalier, who had a stone-solid expression as he gripped his Hammer "That okay with you Fred?"

"I have no objections. Place me in or out of battle by your command" Frederick nodded, then galloped behind me as Anna, Catria, Marth and Celica took their positions. Caeda and Lyn nodded to us and the battle begun.

"Celica, try to bait out Lyn, but avoid Caeda and the lance flier!" I called and the priestess moved a little bit forward, opening her Ragnarok tome. Lyn dashed forward with surprising speed despite her wedding dress and thrust her staff in the air. Bright flashes of light bombarded Celica, leaving her blindsided.

"Ah! I can't see!" Celica staggered around while wiping her eyes furiously "Someone help me!"

Caeda calmly strode forward and began to channel magic through her Blessed Bouquet to smote Celica, but Marth rushed ahead and intercepted her, cutting a powerful swath with his newly-acquired Falchion.

"Onward to victory!" Anna slid under Lyn's powerful flash magic and swiftly cut her down with her axe, dissolving her into a cloud of Hero Feathers. Marth took a hard blast of Caeda's Blessed Bouquet, but Celica took her down shortly after. Catria stabbed the lance flier through the chest, then focused on the sword flier swooping towards her.

"No matter the cost!" Catria rocketed towards the enemy pegasus knight, lance first as a bright silver moon blazed in the air above her. As she charged, dark yellow light surrounded her lance indicating Armored Blow. The two fliers collided in midair with Catria's lance spearing through the sword flier's neck while the sword flier's Killing Edge was inches before her face.

"Sorry it had to come to this" Catria withdrew her lance from the flier's corpse and the knight fell from her mount, disintegrating into feathers along the way. With the courtyard cleared, we moved into the church.

"Jeez, they want the wedding bouquet more than we do!" Lyn huffed in frustration after they reappeared in a flash of magic like usual "We need to rejoin with Charlotte and Cordelia at the banquet hall. We'll be at our strongest as a team"

"I completely agree Lyn. Let's hurry!" Caeda nodded and the two brides snuck off to the back of the church. Meanwhile, we made it into the lobby, where a Khadein fire mage, an Archanean axe warrior and the two brides, Cordelia and Charlotte were waiting.

"Oh, my word! What an absolute scoundrel you are, Mister Breeze!" Charlotte looked like she was teaching Cordelia how to sweet talk a man "See! The secret to wooing a man is to act like a distressed and helpless damsel. They'll come flocking to you right away!"

"But… nobody sees me that way Charlotte. If I act distressed and helpless, they'll know something's wrong" Cordelia protested.

"Pfft, they won't notice a thing. A man's heart instinctively wants to save the princess and be a hero, right?" Charlotte spread her hands "Why are you to skeptical today? Do you not want to get married?"

"Not… really?"

"Oh, look! Here comes a man with a royal bearing!" Charlotte pointed to Marth, who balked in shock "Put your heart into it! Give it all you've got! Dear me! Only the cruelest of fates would force us to fight…"

"Dear… me…" Cordelia sighed and nocked an arrow into her Cupid Arrow "What have I gotten myself into…?"

"You two! Challengers have arrived! Get ready to fight!" Charlotte shouted at the fire mage and axe fighter as she grabbed her weapon on the wall. That weapon was… a giant spoon. With a ribbon tied to the neck and frosting on it.

"Is she serious going to fight us with-" Catria was cut off when Charlotte stabbed her spoon straight into the ground, pulverizing the tiles beneath her "Whoa!"

"We should avoid one on one combat with her if we can" Marth agreed "I would hate to see any of us speared by a giant frost-covered spoon"

"What kind of weapon is that anyways? A lance? An axe?" I asked.

"I believe it's a lance. She stabbed it into the floor after all" Anna turned to me "Considering how strong she is, it would be a good idea to bomb her with Celica or use an axe hero to take her out"

"You're a little too physically frail to take on Charlotte, so I think Frederick should sub in" I said and Anna nodded, swapping places with Frederick in the chapel's lobby.

"So if you four are done talking, can we fight already?" Charlotte called and I nodded.

"Let us begin! Celica, bait the fire mage on the left, but watch out for Cordelia. Marth and Frederick, fight Charlotte and the axe fighter" I commanded "And Catria, stay in the air and swoop down to deliver sneak attacks whenever you can! Go!"

My heroes raced into action. Celica raised a crimson magical shield with Distant Defense to block the red mage's Rauðrblade and then retaliated with her Ragnarok. As the mage crumbled to the ground, Cordelia rushed forward and expertly fired an arrow from her bow. Despite the bow's flimsy-looking design, the Cupid Arrow was surprisingly effective and Celica got a hard shot to the waist, only surviving thanks to Distant Defense.

"I have your back Celica!" Marth jumped in front of the injured priestess, deflecting Cordelia's arrow with his Falchion. While the archer was nocking another arrow, Catria rocketed down and speared Cordelia through the chest with her Killer Lance, taking her out in one blow. The axe fighter brought his Silver Axe down on Catria's unguarded side, but Frederick bashed his Hammer into the warrior's ribs, sending him flying to the wall.

"Till death do us part!" Charlotte dashed towards Frederick with wind billowing under her feet, courtesy of Wind Boost and thrust her large spoon forward. The axe cavalier's armor and triangle advantage helped him survive, but Charlotte's strength was incredible. Her strike cracked Frederick's heavy great knight armor.

"Your last breath approaches!" Frederick's horse kicked Charlotte back with its hooves while the axe cavalier himself brought his Hammer onto Charlotte's head, powered by Luna. The bride crumbled to the ground instantly and faded into feathers.

"Well, that's that" I rubbed the ground with my boot, glad that the heroes we fought fade instantly instead of bleeding on the spot. Frederick would of made battles a LOT messier with his Hammer "Shall we move forward?"

Before we headed deeper into the church, Charlotte and Cordelia reappeared in front of us in a flash of light. Charlotte fell to her knees instantly and held out her hands like a beggar.

"You're so strong! No more, please, milord! Have mercy!" The bride begged and Cordelia huffed in frustration.

"No more, please... No, seriously. No more" Cordelia rubbed her temples "Please. I can't take this nonsense anymore! Retreat!"

Cordelia grabbed Charlotte by the arm and dragged her deeper into the chapel. We followed them and ended up in the main hall, with dozens of long benches and a plush red carpet leading up to the pavilion, where an oversized bouquet of flowers was on display. The flowers seemed to be pulsing with magic, making me feel overwhelmingly warm and content, like I was given the opportunity to spend the entire day with my loved one alone.

"There it is… the legendary wedding bouquet" Anna's mouth was watering "I can just smell the money I'll get once I sell this!"

"Where are Cordelia and Charlotte though? We followed them in, but they're nowhere to be found" I said as I looked around the empty room. The rest of my heroes looked around, but they came up short as well. Suddenly, we heard a door open and Caeda and Lyn strode into the main hall, taking their place in front of the legendary bouquet. Cordelia and Charlotte joined them on the dais, new weapons in hand.

"The festival is coming to a close" Caeda pointed to the sparkling bouquet "It's time to toss the bouquet!"

"Ladies… let's establish some ground rules first" Charlotte swung her spoon in an expansive gesture, making the other brides back away "One: No holding a grudge against the winner. Two: The last one standing gets the bouquet"

"But... I never said I even wanted to get married! I just…" Cordelia protested, but Lyn cut her off.

"To battle!" The Sacean noble shouted and the final brawl commenced. Charlotte charged ahead while Caeda, Lyn and Cordelia stayed close behind to provide backline support. A good strategy for something improvised on the fly. Or did they have time to make one? In any case, I put Frederick in the front to take on Charlotte while Celica stayed behind him to ambush Charlotte with Ragnarok.

"I don't think so!" Caeda employed the same strategy as us and invoked the spell of Blessed Bouquet onto Frederick. A dim blue spotlight shined on the axe cavalier and a wrapped present fell from the sky, knocking Frederick back. Charlotte took advantage of his flinch to get under his guard, denting his armor hard.

"It's over!" Suddenly, a ring of fiery wisps surrounded Charlotte and collided together, erupting in a infernal explosion that blasted the bride to a nearby bench, knocking her out cold. The explosion was tinged with the searing light of Blazing Light, blinding Lyn, Caeda and Cordelia temporarily.

"Take advantage of their blindness! Go!" I called to Marth and Catria and they rushed into action, taking down as many of the brides as they could before their vision returned. Marth defeated Lyn and Catria took down Caeda before Cordelia's blindness wore off and she aimed an arrow at Catria. Marth dashed in to intercept it, but Cordelia already fired her arrow. Catria has just finished killing Caeda and didn't see it coming until it struck hard in her neck.

"Gahh… Gurrghh…" Catria gurgled, clawing at her neck until she slumped forward on her pegasus and both of them faded into light. Marth backstabbed Cordelia, but the image of Catria choking on her own blood mentally scarred me.

"If you excuse me, I need to go outside for some fresh air" I swallowed, my face turning green "Congrats on winning the bouquet Anna"

Marth joined me as I made my way out of the chapel. Perhaps the bouquet's magic was influencing me, but I felt a sudden affection for Catria. Which was strange because I rarely talked to the pegasus knight one on one. But seeing Catria die in such a brutal way, even if she wasn't gone forever, was disturbing.

"I know how you feel Lucian. I've seen deaths all too similar to that back in my world" Marth put a hand on my shoulder "Feel free to cry on my shoulder if you need to. Deaths like that can't be taken lightly, even if it isn't permanent here"

"Now that we're alone Marth, I wanted to ask you something" I said as I pushed the prince's hand gently off my shoulder "Do you know that Catria has unrequited feelings for you?"

"I have been noticing it as of late" Marth admitted "The way she forlornly gazes at me during dinner, when she goes out of her way to guard me during battle… At first, I thought it was her knightly devotion to me, despite serving Princess Minerva. Only recently did I realize she has feelings for me"

"How do you feel about it?"

"Pity. I believe Catria knows I'm already betrothed to Caeda, so she's trying to be more subtle with her love as to not make it obvious. She's trying to bury her forbidden feelings" Marth sighed, resting a hand on his heart "I can't directly confront her about this Lucian. I would break her heart"

"What are you suggesting to help her?"

"She needs to put aside her feelings for me by finding love with another man. That's how she'll free herself from her own chains" Marth replied.

"Where are you getting all this advice from?" I marvelled.

"I talked with Cordelia about it not too long ago. She has a similar problem with Chrom" The prince smiled wanly, as if exasperated to be involved with two love problems "Caeda loves reading romantic novels, so I often hear her talking about them with me. I took the advice I learned from Caeda's books and passed them to Cordelia and now you. I believe you can help Catria"

"Why me?"

"You're a charismatic and smart leader, yet you're down to earth, speaking with your troops on a daily basis. It's inspiring" Marth smiled as bright as the sun above us "My bodyguard and best friend, Kris is just like you. His charisma allowed him to recruit even former enemies like his wife, Katarina. See where I'm getting at?"

"Oh, I get it. You think I have the best chance of resolving Catria's problem because I'm charismatic like Kris. People find me easy to talk to" I clasped my hands "Alright, I'll speak to Catria tonight"

"Good luck and thank you for doing it in my stead" The prince nodded.

"Thank you for talking with me Marth. I needed to clear my head after that… scene" I took a deep breath and steeled myself "Thank the gods heroes fade when they die instead of bleeding out on the floor"

"It would put a damper on the festival's mood" Marth agreed "Huh? They didn't even give the bouquet to Anna yet"

"Took you awhile to get back Lucian! We've been waiting for ages!" Anna wagged her finger at me "You know I'm not THAT greedy. I want you to bear witness to my claiming of the legendary bouquet!"

"Uhh… sure?" I shrugged "Go ahead and claim it"

Caeda did the honors and carefully picked the legendary bouquet from its vase and handed it to Anna. She stared at it like she was staring at a million dollars. If the bouquet really guaranteed a happy marriage, it may as well be a million dollars.

"The moment I've been waiting for! The prize is all mine! Ha!" Anna cheered, laughing "I can just smell the money I'll be getting for this!"

"About that… the bouquet's blessing goes to today's victor and no one else" Cordelia watched Anna's expression gradually turn from joy to shock to horror "That's you, Anna. You're the one who earned it"

"Are you kidding me? I don't plan on getting married anytime soon…" Anna's knuckles turned white on the bouquet's stems, like she was about to smash it. Celica politely took the bouquet from Anna before she could wreck the flowers. Meanwhile, all four brides approached me and Marth.

"The festival may be over, but if you propose it, we shall partner with you in battle, summoner of Askr" Caeda began, which made me wonder how these people knew of Askr and that I was a summoner "You'll know where to look to find us"

"But if you do, at least let us get changed first. Is that too much to ask?" Lyn gazed at her wedding dress and Candlelight staff in disgust "How did we even fight in this?"

"They may not look like it, but these outfits serve as fine battle dresses. We'll be ready" Cordelia reassured her.

"Do you think a man would find this outfit delightful? What do you think, summoner?" Charlotte asked me.

"It looks great on you. Although, I think most people will find it odd that you're wearing a wedding dress on your first date" I replied and Charlotte gasped, fretting on her appearance with Lyn and Cordelia.

"I hope we'll cross paths again" Caeda nodded to Marth, who blushed "May you be blessed with love and joy"

"Thank you. Let's go Anna!" I called, but the axe fighter didn't move. Her hands were shaking with rage and they looked like she was still holding the bouquet, even after Celica took it "Uh oh"

"Milady Anna, if you don't mind…" Frederick hoisted Anna onto his horse and quickly bolted out of the chapel, saving us from an infernal outburst from the commander. We said our goodbyes to the brides, hopped through the portal and returned back to Askr.

 _Lucian and Catria's C support:_

During dinner, I saw Catria leave early and head off towards the gardens. Marth nodded to me and I quickly wrapped up the rest of my food and followed her out, ready for the conversation Marth goaded me to initiate. The pegasus knight was sitting on a bench, wringing her hands while she gazed at the full moon passing the sky.

"Catria, do you have a moment?" I asked as I sat down next to the Archanean pegasus knight, marvelling at her slim, but athletic body and short blue hair.

"Is this about what happened in the bride battle? Forgive me Lucian. I wasn't paying enough attention" Catria hung her head in shame "Punish me in any way you like for my failure"

"Raise your head Catria. I didn't come here to talk about that" I said and the pegasus knight stared at me in confusion "Marth swiftly took down Cordelia after you were shot down and we still won the battle. There is nothing to be ashamed of"

"If you didn't come to talk to me about that, then what is it?"

"Marth is aware of… you know"

Catria sighed, slapping her forehead "I guess I was too obvious, huh? Believe me Lucian. I tried to suppress it. I tried all I can to act like a normal soldier around Prince Marth. But he still sees through me regardless"

"He says that he feels pity that you're chained by your feelings like this. He wanted me to come and talk to you about it because I'm similar to another guy from your world. Kris, was it?" I put my hand on Catria's shoulder just like Marth did and she smiled lightly at the gesture.

"I can see the resemblance. Although Kris is leagues more dense than you are" Catria smiled fondly at the memory "He couldn't even tell I was in love with Marth even when I threw the clues at his face"

I laughed "But still, he comforted you about this situation, right? Helped you get the weight off your chest?"

"He did. We talked often together and developed a strong friendship. Slowly, I didn't feel like I was trapped under the shadow of Prince Marth as much" Catria slumped "Then Kris married Katarina at the end of the war"

"How does that make a differen- Oh" I nodded "You began to fall in love with Kris and that pushed aside your feelings for Marth. Then that avenue was shut off when Kris married Katarina"

"I don't hold any contempt for Katarina. She and Kris make a cute couple" Catria sighed "I just wish that my heart wasn't getting twisted all over the place all the time…"

"If I could help you in any way, I'd be happy to. You're a good person Catria" I smiled at Catria's surprised expression "You're dutiful, reliable and relaxing to talk to. You're also a pretty sight for any kind of eyes, sore or not"

Catria blushed "Did Charlotte teach you how to sweet talk a woman? Because that seems a little excessive for our first real conversation together"

"Ah… sorry about that"

"That's alright. You're just trying to ease my eternally aching heart, like Kris has done for me before" The pegasus knight smiled "I appreciate the gesture. Perhaps we can talk again sometime? I feel that me and you can make good friends"

"I'd like that. Come to me whenever you'd like" I nodded "I'll have to be free though first"

Catria laughed "Naturally. I'm sorry we can't talk more today. I'm just tired from all the fighting we had to do"

"Of course. Go get some rest if you need it" I took Catria's hand and helped her off the bench, like a gentleman should "Have a good sleep Catria"

"You as well Lucian. Good luck with your summoning" The pegasus knight gave me one last smile before reentering the castle and heading towards the barracks. While the entire conversation made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, I wondered how Saria would feel if I started a real relationship with another hero. We rarely saw each other because of the Voting Gauntlets, but I felt we had something forming between us. Hopefully, Saria felt the same way that I did so both of us can move away and spend time with the heroes we saw every day.

"Guess I'll talk to her about it when the next Voting Gauntlet comes" I shrugged and headed back into the castle "It's been a while since the last Voting Gauntlet hasn't it…?"

 **Nothing much except for fighting in wedding dresses, resolving love triangles and beginning support conversations. Coming up next is the Camus Grand Hero Battle (I'll be on a vacation for the next three weeks, so it'll be a while before that comes) If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow the story! If you want to give me constructive criticism or praise, leave a review! Until next time summoners!**


	31. Grand Hero Battle: Camus

A Summoner's Journey

Grand Hero Battle: Camus

 _Team for this chapter: Ryoma, Nino, Olivia and Priscilla_

Shortly after the brawl with the brides, I used the orbs I earned and attempted a round with the Bridal Blessings banner. I ended up getting Bride Charlotte, who was a welcome addition to our barracks seeing as we were lacking strong infantry lancers. As I was returning to Askr Castle with my newly summoned heroes in tow, I saw Anna rush by with a team of builders behind her.

"Anna! Where are you going?!" I called.

Anna only glanced at me with a smile and waved, before disappearing over the hillside, along with her twenty workers. I shrugged, knowing Anna could take care of herself and headed into the lobby. While all my new heroes went to the library to find Alfonse, Marth and Caeda approached me. Marth had a notice in his hand.

"A notice flew in while you were gone. You might want to look into it" Marth handed me the letter and I opened it up. It was a postcard for a new Grand Hero Battle, featuring a noble and strong-looking knight in black and gold. He was the legendary leader of the Sable Order of Grust, known as the most powerful warrior in Archanea and the wielder of the Gradivus. His name was Camus.

"So we're up against Camus huh? He looks like a dangerous and formidable foe" I remarked as I turned over the postcard to view his battlefield's layout.

Marth winced "Lucian, that's not how you pronounce his name"

"What? It's not CAM-US?" I asked, baffled.

"Camus's name is Grustian, so it's pronounced differently than what it looks" Caeda explained "The way it's actually pronounced is CA-MOO"

"Camoo? What's the s at the end for then?" I asked.

"I don't know. The name is Grustian in origin, so it must have certain accents we're not aware of" Caeda replied "Anyways, Camus is absolutely a strong foe to take notice of. See that lance in his hand?"

"That's the Gradivus from Archanean legend, right? One of the three regalia?"

"The one and only. Originally, the Gradivus, along with the other regalia weapons, Mercurius and Parthia were stolen by the founder of Archanea, Adrah and used to conquer the land" Marth explained "It's a mighty lance, capable of healing someone near death's door and can sunder boulders in one hit"

"Combine that power with Camus's prowess as a paladin of Grust and you have an exceptional ally or foe depending on what side you're on. Take caution when you fight him Lucian" Caeda warned, then stared at her gloved hands sadly "I wish I had my Wing Spear on hand when you summoned me. It would of really helped against Camus"

"Don't worry about it Caeda. I'll find a way to beat him" I smiled reassuringly, then glanced again at the postcard "I'll be in the war room if you need me. Can you find Robin, Robinne and Jeorge and tell them to meet me there?"

"Will do. Good luck fighting Camus Lucian!" Caeda and Marth both waved me goodbye before heading down to the mess hall, hand in hand to find my three heroes. I headed into the war room, where a giant parchment map was laid on a maple wood table. The table and paper were imbued with magic, so when I slid in a postcard like Camus's Grand Hero Battle, a large version of his battlefield layout would be printed on the map, letting us strategize easier. I wondered if Anna imbued the magic herself or ordered a specially-made paper and table for it. That woman was always full of mystery.

"Is hasn't even been a week and another Grand Hero Battle comes in" Robin said as he, his sister and Jeorge entered the war room "Busy week, isn't it?"

"Nevertheless, I like doing my Grand Hero Battles the moment they arrive. Just in case Embla decides to fill up our schedules" I said as I gestured to Camus's map layout with my hand "Anyways, let's strategize. There appears to be two axe cavaliers, a troubadour and a red mage knight accompanying Camus in this battle"

"Hmm… clearly Camus and his Sable Order live up to their reputation. Their formation and location make it hard for us to lure them out one by one" Robin pointed to the axe cavalier beside the troubadour on the left "I was thinking of baiting the axe cavaliers with a swordsman like Ryoma, Zephiel or Xander, but they heavily risk being attacked and destroyed by Camus"

"So if the usual bait strategy doesn't work, we have to use hit and run" Robinne pointed to Camus "I can strike Camus with my Gronnwolf tome from behind these trees, then have someone like Ryoma pull me back before the cavalry reach me. That way, we can take out the boss of the battle early and lower their morale"

"That won't work Robinne" I pointed to the top right corner of the map layout, where some notes were written "According to the notes on the postcard, Camus possesses the skills Growing Thunder, Grani's Shield and Goad Cavalry. Grani's Shield protects him from anti-cavalry weapons like your Gronnwolf"

"Curses" Robinne slumped "I still think the hit and run strategy is a good idea though. Who do you think can take on Camus from a distance?"

"A strong green mage that can dodge a Gradivus counterattack" I glanced at Robinne "No offense Robinne, but we need a stronger and faster green mage to take down Camus quickly"

"I understand. What about Nino?" Robinne suggested "If she can withstand one Gradivus counterattack, she can nail Camus down and have someone pull her back before the axe cavaliers catch up"

"With her triangle advantage, it's feasible to believe she can survive" I nodded "Alright, so Nino is the Camus killer. We can use Ryoma to reposition Nino and also deal with the axe cavaliers. His Raijinto will allow him to strike down the troubadour and red mage knight as well"

"Wouldn't Xander be a better choice for this role? He can pick up Nino with his horse and engage the axe cavaliers quicker" Jeorge pointed out "While Nino's on Xander's horse, she can fire off Gronnblade attacks with more precision than if she was standing behind Ryoma"

"The mage knight and troubadour are troublesome for Xander due to his shoddy magical resistance" I replied "And contrary to what most people think, Xander is actually slower than Ryoma despite being on a horse. The two had a race not too long ago to prove it"

"A samurai wielding an electric katana is faster than an armored paladin with a greatsword imbued with darkness" Robin repeated "And the paladin's on a horse"

"Either that armor's weighing down Xander's horse or Ryoma's just REALLY fast" I shrugged "But my point stands. Ryoma has slightly better magical resistance than Xander and is twice as fast. He can dodge incoming magic and staff fire as opposed to tanking it"

"And Nino can still shoot off Gronnblades on the ground to support Ryoma" Robinne added.

"Alright, so all in favor for Ryoma?" I asked.

Everyone nodded.

"I think Ryoma and Nino can handle everyone on the map, so we should take two support units in case things get dicey" I said "I'm thinking of bringing Olivia and Priscilla to help support Nino and Ryoma. Olivia can even dance for Nino to get her safely out of the axe cavalier's range once she's done killing Camus"

"And Priscilla can heal up Ryoma if he starts to get overwhelmed by the remaining enemies" Robin finished "Okay, looks like we got our team. Let's give ourselves… an hour to prepare and round up everyone. Sound good?"

"Yep. Relay that message to Ryoma, Nino, Olivia and Priscilla and tell them to meet me in the lobby"

"Gotcha"

An hour later, my four heroes were rounded up and ready to take on Camus. I grabbed the postcard from the war room's table and headed towards the World of Mystery portal, with my heroes behind me.

"Ready everyone? This might be one of our hardest battles so far" I said before entering the swirling portal, which shown clouds partially covering a parchment map of Archanea.

"We've been through much worse. Don't worry about us Lucian!" Nino smiled enthusiastically and Priscilla nodded in agreement.

"Whatever battle you require me in, I will fight to my absolute fullest. Have faith in me and all of us" Ryoma put his hand on my shoulder in a supportive manner and I nodded.

"Alright then, let's do this. Stick to the strategy as planned!" And we stepped into the glowing gateway, reappearing on a damp, windy battlefield, as if a rainstorm had recently passed. Two rivers ran beside the land where a tall, imposing fortress stood and at the gates were five cavaliers, the leader being Camus himself.

The mage knight gasped "General Camus, did you see that?"

"Indeed. This isn't the Archanean League at all" Camus stared stoically at us while gripping his Gradivus tightly, feeling its limitless power flowing through his body "Our duty is to defend the gate until General Lorenz returns with his reinforcements. Interdimensional soldiers or not, they are still human"

"And therefore, still able to be slain" The axe cavalier holding a Killer Axe+ nodded "Shall we charge them General Camus? There's only four of them and five of us. All of them are infantry units, so we should be able to trample them-"

"No. We will hold our positions" Camus ordered "General Lorenz ordered us to guard the gate of the Grusthold and we shall not waver. If we charge, we risk having the fort seized by an enemy flier. No, we stay and remain on the defensive"

"Yes sir!" The other four soldiers saluted and formed a tight wall in front of the fort's gate, almost touching shoulder to shoulder. Camus stayed in the front and watched us position ourselves with steel-cold eyes.

"Alright everyone, time to begin" I nodded to Nino "You first"

"Gronnblade!" Nino called and a volley of spectral green swords fell from the sky like hailstones, raining down on Camus hard. Two layers of blue shields, currency of the axe cavalier's Ward Cavalry skills, formed over Camus's body and briefly shielded him from Nino's onslaught of blades.

"They have a dangerous mage among their ranks who can wreak havoc in a cramped space like this…" Camus mused as the blade storm ended, with smoking craters on the bridge "All units, charge and trample the enemy! Axe cavaliers, forward! Mage knight and troubadour, stay behind and support! CHARGE!"

"Nino, hurry up and take down Camus!" I shouted and Nino fired another ring of blades in front of her, peppering Camus and the troubadour with explosive wind magic. Camus retaliated by throwing his Gradivus straight at Nino's head, but Ryoma grabbed the mage's shoulder and pulled her back, saving her.

"Olivia! Distract the axe cavaliers coming in on the left!" I called and the dancer dashed over, Silver Sword in hand to intercept the riders. Priscilla rode behind her, spreading waves of panic with her Panic staff to divert the foe's attention. Meanwhile, Camus thrust out his hand and retrieved his Gradivus just as Ryoma rushed forward with Nino prepping another Gronnblade shot. The troubadour's Slow staff glowed in an attempt to strike Ryoma, but the samurai shot her off her horse with a swift lightning bolt.

"Your armor and fighting style is unlike anything I've ever seen before" Camus commented as he dodged Nino's Gronnblade and clashed Gradivus to Raijinto with Ryoma "Let's see how well you hold up"

"I've faced paladins like you before. This is natural to me!" Ryoma batted away Camus's spear and glowed with purple light "May your blood crust my blade!"

Before Ryoma's Astra could connect however, Camus rose the Gradivus in defense and deflected Ryoma's furious slashes. However, that left him open to Nino, who called down a gigantic broadsword like a meteorite onto Camus. Without even realizing it, the blade collided with the lance cavalier and erupted in a tornado of wind magic, shredding Camus to dust. There wasn't any time to celebrate their victory however. Olivia and Priscilla were still dealing with the remaining cavalry on the left.

"Ryoma! Nino! Assist Olivia and Priscilla!" I commanded "Take out the enemy from behind!"

Relief washed over both girls's faces when they heard my command. Priscilla's healing staff was nearly smoking from healing Olivia for so long and the dancer was tiring. She took down one axe cavalier with a stab to the stomach and Ryoma's lightning bolt struck down the second. Nino dodged the mage knight's lava eruption via Bolganone+ and countered, weakening him for Ryoma to finish. The swordsman swung upwards, tearing the mage knight's horse in half and sending the mage flying into the riverside. He broke apart into feathers instantly upon impact. I watched the blood that was spilled on the bridge fade as the World of Mystery returned to normal, signifying that our battle with Camus was over.

"Phew, that was close. Took some improvising since our original plan didn't work as I thought" I glanced at the fortress gate, where light gathered to form Camus, with a Silver Lance in his hand.

"My name is Camus of Grust. I am the captain of the Sable Order of Knights" Camus introduced himself "I have many questions, but I can tell now is not a good time for an explanation"

"Go find the man with blue hair and wearing beige armor in the left wing of the castle. He'll explain everything" I promised, then gestured to the swirling portal back to Askr "Now we return. Follow me everyone"

 _Unshaken Loyalty: Marth and Camus's Conversation_

"General Camus, do you have a moment to talk?" Marth approached Camus, who was gazing at the sky forlornly in the castle gardens.

"Ah, Prince Marth. A pleasure to meet you without the hostilities like before" Camus bowed at the prince, as any knight would to a lord "What do you need of me?"

"I'd like to ask about your… situation in the World of Mystery" Marth replied, sitting down on the bench beside the paladin "General Lorenz told us that himself, you and most of the Sable Order disagreed with allying with Dolhr yet none of you objected besides the general himself. Why is that?"

"Grust is my homeland and speaking bluntly, the one thing I cannot do is betray my motherland" Camus replied, crossing his arms "Thinking back on it now however, my loyalty to Grust was my fatal weakness"

"You knew allying with Dolhr was wrong and yet you stayed because of your loyalty to King Ludwik and the country?"

"Mostly the country. My king is weak willed and easy to terrify, unlike his ancestor, General Ordwin, the founder of Grust" The paladin's stone hard expression faltered slightly "Had I not spent my entire life in Grust, I might have not chosen to go against you and the League. King Ludwik is not a worthy king to fight for"

"Surely you must know that joining our side would of meant the liberation of Grust from Dolhr's influence and therefore, the freedom of its citizens and common folk, right?" Marth pressed "There has to be more you're fighting for besides Grust alone"

Camus studied Marth briefly "You're a clever one, aren't you? Yes, you're right. Though I wasn't fully fighting for King Ludwik's sake, his two children, Jubelo and Yuliya are very promising heirs to the kingdom. Dolhr took advantage of that and imprisoned the two children, forcing us to fight on their behalf, lest they slay Grust's only able heirs"

"So that's the reason" Marth nodded "I wager that King Ludwik wasn't well liked among the populace?"

"I often hear the Grustian citizens openly insult the king for his cowardness and selfishness, as he authorized Jubelo and Yuliya to be sent to Khadein as hostages for his own safety" Camus replied, shrugging "So yes, he was generally hated by the common folk. Same goes for the Sable Order"

"So summing it up: the reason why Grust continued fighting for Dolhr, despite the general public and military disagreeing is because they're being blackmailed with Prince Jubelo and Princess Yuliya's lives?"

"Yes. Personally, I'm glad to be free of those clutches here in this world. If Prince Alfonse's information was correct, our timeline isn't affected by me being here" Camus rolled back his shoulders "I can fight for a cause I fully believe in and enjoy myself when I couldn't before. Joining this "Order of Heroes" was a good idea"

"It certainly is a wonderful place" Marth agreed "After hearing your story, I know Caeda was right about her remark about you. You really are an exceptional ally, not just because of your strength, leadership and skill. It's also your unshakeable loyalty to the cause"

"Loyalty can be a weakness, but I'm glad it's being used for the right purpose now" Camus agreed "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to train at the training yard. Coming here has weakened me significantly and I've somehow lost the Gradivus"

"I'm sure Lucian would be willing to strengthen you, given the fight you gave him in the World of Mystery" Marth promised. He heard how the battle went from Ryoma and it sounded more fierce and intense than his own experience with the Grustian general.

"I dearly hope he does. Well Prince Marth, it was an honor to speak with you. May our battles in the future be successful ones"

"You as well, General"

 **I think I caught a bit of writer's block on the conversation scene between Marth and Camus because I couldn't think of anyone else for Camus to have a convo with and the only topic I could think of for Camus/Marth is explanation for why Camus's loyalty to Grust is so absolute. As such, forgive me for writing a bland final conversation scene and I'll try to flesh out Camus more in the future chapters, as I DO use him quite often. Coming up next is the first Tempest Trials followed by Echoes of Mystery and The War of the Clerics voting gauntlet. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow and if you want to give constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time!**


	32. TT: Dark Clouds Over Awakening

A Summoner's Journey

Tempest Trials: Dark Clouds Over Awakening

 _Team for this chapter: Robin, Robinne, Xander and Priscilla_

"Lucian! Lucian!" Anna ran over to me in a panic, nearly crashing into me in the process.

"What's going on Anna? Are we being attacked?" I asked worriedly. I just returned from Robin and Robinne's room after they reported feeling weird headaches. They felt like something was wrong in the World of Awakening. Both of them wanted to check just to make sure.

"There's a catastrophe in the World of Awakening! A swirling vortex of light has reportedly appeared in the ground and is swallowing everything in sight!" Anna cried "The Askrian portal guards are trying to discern the source, but we need some serious firepower here"

"And I'm assuming this isn't a natural disaster?"

"No, this hasn't happened before in our world. It's something completely unreal" Robin shook his head "I know this vortex is the source of my headache. I feel like if I go there and quell it, it'll go away. Don't you feel the same Robinne?"

"Yeah, I can sense it. It's like my body is telling me something's wrong with our world. This is what it is" Robinne agreed, then turned to me "Lucian, we're coming to help quell the vortex. It's mine and Robin's duty to stop whatever crisis erupts in our home"

"You never needed to ask. Of course I'll bring you two along" I nodded, then turned to Anna "Find Xander and Priscilla in the five star suites and tell them to come down to the lobby. Me, Robin and Robinne will go to the World of Awakening to scout out the vortex"

"Alright then. Be careful!" Anna said and rushed down the barracks in a hurry. Me and the Robin twins ran towards the portal courtyard as fast as we could and jumped into the World of Awakening portal, depositing in a disarrayed field, with trees bending unnaturally and grass blowing in random directions. Even the sun couldn't decide where it wanted to go, abruptly shifting from day and night constantly.

"What's going on here?!" I asked an Askrian portal guard over the raging wind "Are the civilians alright?"

"Summoner Lucian, a great vortex of light has opened up in the earth up ahead. It looks to be tearing the fabric of reality apart!" The guard pointed to a tall tree close by, which seemed to be bent to the point of snapping to the right. Within seconds, it dissolved into particles and flew like dust in the wind towards the blinding tornado straight ahead.

"The civilians are hiding in their homes, crying out that this is the end of the world" The guard continued "Should all the guards in the area retreat back, sir?"

"If all the civilians are safe from the vortex, retreat back to Askr. Me, Robin and Robinne are going in there to silence the vortex from within!" I yelled and the guard nodded.

"Stay safe and good luck!" The pikeman raised his hand high "All Askrian guards in the area! Retreat back to home base if all civilians in the World of Awakening are safe! This is an order from Summoner Lucian himself!"

One by one, the white-armored guards went back into the portal and returned to Askr, leaving us alone with the calamitous vortex.

"Sirs and lady, do you need my assistance in quelling the Tempest?!" Suddenly, a masked swordsman wearing a elegant blue outfit appeared at my side. In his hand was Chrom's Falchion strangely.

"That's what it's called? The Tempest?" Robin stared down the tornado, which was devouring more of the environment around it, piece by piece "What are you even doing here Marth?!"

"I'm here for the same reasons as you. To cut down the Tempest and return the world to its normal state" Masked Marth explained "But now's not the time to chat. We must go into the heart of the Tempest and sever it at its roots. That's how we'll destroy it!"

"You sound like you did this before! Are you sure it's safe?!" I asked as we began walking towards the Tempest, struggling to not get thrown in.

"Nothing is safe, summoner. I hope you three are prepared to fight" Something caught Masked Marth's attention and he cocked his head towards the portal, where two cavalier heroes appeared. Xander and Priscilla.

"Xander! Priscilla!" I yelled "We're charging into the Tempest to take it down by it's core! Trust me! It's okay to go in!"

"We can't leave this world ravaged by this. Priscilla, we have to go" Xander drew his Siegfried and charged down towards the Tempest with Priscilla following close behind. Masked Marth leaped into the eye of the Tempest first, disappearing into white mist. Robin and Robinne followed afterwards and I jumped in with them, turning the world white with light.

When I awoken, we were on the battlefield where we fought Chrom, Frederick and Lissa on our first trip through the World of Awakening. The only difference is that the enemy trio were now glowing with purple smoke and had piercing red eyes that dug into my skin.

"By the gods, are those Risen?" Robin asked in shock.

"No. They are merely spiritual soldiers made by the Tempest as a defense mechanism. They are usually made to resemble the current world's worst nightmares" Masked Marth replied, tone flat and serious. He leveled his Falchion and got into an offensive stance "I will fight alongside you to quell the Tempest"

Masked Marth turned to face me "You're a tactician, are you not? I will follow your commands, given that they are reasonable. The twin Robins being your companions shows that you're a capable strategist though"

"I hope to impress. Alright, let's get started" I cracked my knuckles and assessed the enemy formation briefly. It was going to be hard to lure Chrom out without being in easy striking range of Frederick and Lissa, so if the enemy wasn't going to move, I had to use hit-and-run tactics.

"Robin, charge in and attack Chrom with your Blarraven! Xander, be prepared to pull back Robin if Frederick gets close!" I commanded and the two charged ahead. Robin opened his tome and a flood of spiritual ravens burst forth, bombarding Chrom with powerful thunder-based magic. The false prince collapsed under the pressure of the blow and dissolved into purple mist, just like a Risen. Frederick galloped towards Robin with his Hammer raised next to his head with Lissa following behind. Xander grabbed Robin's hood and threw him behind him while both Frederick and Lissa fell on the Nohrian prince.

"Right where I want you!" Xander took both Frederick's Hammer and Lissa's Gravity with ease and retaliated with two strong slashes of Siegfried for Frederick and a Bonfire-powered shadow bolt for Lissa. Both guardians fell to the ground and disintegrated into dust.

"Well done. But that's not the end yet" Masked Marth informed and the scenery around us changed, transforming into the ravine cliffside where Cordelia and her squad of Emblian pegasus knights ambushed us a long time ago. This time however, Shanna, Cherche, Caeda and Palla were the four fliers surrounding us this time. All of them had the same aura as Risen Chrom, Frederick and Lissa.

"Marth, handle Caeda and Palla up ahead with Robin. Xander and Robinne, deal with Shanna and Cherche. Priscilla, stay in the middle of the ravine in case any of us need healing" I ordered and my troops rushed into action, instantly brawling with the Tempest's soldiers. Masked Marth sidestepped Caeda's giant Armorslayer and cut her down swiftly with his Falchion while Robin face-tanked Palla using his Triangle Adept and triangle advantage, blasting her off her mount with a swarm of ravens.

"Time to tip the scales!" Robinne thrust her free hand towards Shanna and a glowing green wolf head blazing with fire rocketed towards the pegasus knight, smashing her out of the air with ease. Xander parried Cherche's heavy Hammer swing with his blade and counterattacked, striking the wyvern rider hard in the chest. Cherche backed up in a attempt to retreat, but Xander raised his Siegfried in the air, shooting a fast shadow bolt that shot both rider and mount into the ravine below. With all the enemy troops defeated, the battlefield changed yet again, this time to the canyon littered with bridges where we fought Chrom alongside Robinne, Stahl and Sully.

"Huh? What are these?" I bent down and picked up something that just appeared out of thin air. 10 orbs, several bags of Universal Crystals and a large bundle of Hero Feathers tied by a piece of rope "When did these get here?"

Masked Marth shrugged, clearly perplexed as to why they appeared as well. Usually, I only get these kinds of rewards from the quest fountain.

"No time to worry about it. The next wave of enemies come!" Marth called and four more Tempest heroes appeared in pillars of blue light. Abel, Ryoma, Odin and Gunter were the enemy team this time around.

"Robin, take down Ryoma quickly and have Xander cover you from Gunter! Robinne, handle Odin and Marth, hang back with Priscilla to avoid Abel!"

My units worked as a well oiled machine, taking down every enemy in their path and avoiding ones they couldn't defeat on their own. Robinne shredded Odin's Blarblade with B Tomebreaker and tobbled him to the ground with an Ignis-powered blast of Gronnwolf while Gunter turned away from Xander's Siegfried to gallop towards Odin's dissolving body.

"What is he doing- Ah!" Robin opened her tome again "Gronnwolf!"

Turns out, Gunter jumped the gap with his horse to catch us by surprise, but Robinne intercepted him with her magic, making the armored horseman slam against the cliffs with a loud bang.

"Robinne, help Marth take down Abel!" I called and the tactician turned to see Abel's Brave Lance skirting around Marth. The lithe swordsman was doing all he could to avoid the blows as to not let Abel's Swordbreaker shatter his Falchion and counterattacked whenever the chance came. Robinne cast Gronnwolf and devoured Abel and his horse in one shot.

"Phew. Haven't seen that much action in a while" Robinne closed her tome with a weary sigh as the battlefield changed a fourth time, turning into the riverside village with the broken down walls, where we fought Robin and Tharja for the first time. Gwendolyn, Reinhardt, Sanaki and Merric were our foes this time.

"Robinne, snipe Gwendolyn from behind the wall and have Marth assist you in taking down Merric! Robin, bait out Sanaki, but watch out for Reinhardt! Xander and Priscilla, hold steady and be ready to assist!"

Robinne moved towards the first wall and cast Gronnwolf, sending a spiritual wolf head smashing through the bricks and colliding with Gwendolyn. The lance knight took it better than I thought she would and thrust her Killer Lance towards Robinne. The tactician darted back to dodge, but took a heavy blow from Merric's Excalibur, slicing apart fiddlements of her coat. Marth caught Merric with surprising speed, cleaving his head off in one blow. While Priscilla healed up Robinne to take another Killer Lance strike, Robin dueled with the empress of Begnion and her Cymbeline.

"Wrong move!" Robin walked out of Sanaki's meteor-escue Cymbeline with ease and quickly double-casted Elthunder to bring her down, retreating once Reinhardt came galloping through.

"Robinne! Fall back and let Robin take on Gwendolyn! You need to kill Reinhardt and quick!" I commanded and Robinne rapidly stepped back from Gwen's spear, shooting a blast of Elwind in her face to blow her into Masked Marth's blade and raced towards the approaching mage knight. Reinhardt opened his Dire Thunder with one hand and thrust out his free hand, calling down two blue thunderbolts from the sky, striking Robinne simultaneously. The tactician gritted her teeth through the pain and fired back a Gronnwolf shot, demolishing Reinhardt and his tome instantly. Robin, Marth and Xander finished off Gwendolyn while Priscilla patched up Robinne and the field changed a fifth time, turning into the mountaintop forest where we fought Lucina and Tiki. Jagen, Leo, Cecilia, Adult Tiki and Alm were our opponents.

"Robin and Robinne, go down the left path and take on Jagen and Leo! Use the trees for cover when needed!" I called "Xander and Marth, go down the right side with Xander leading the charge to engage Alm. Priscilla, trail behind them in case they need healing support!"

As Xander trotted down the hillside with his sword drawn, Alm flew at him with his Falchion aimed at his head. Xander brought his broadsword up to guard and kicked Alm back with his horse's legs. The cavalier brought his blade down to finish off Alm, but a gust of wind blew his blade back, letting Alm get another hit in.

"Make sure you strike first against Alm! His Windsweep will prevent your counterattack!" I warned and Xander nodded, blocking Alm's next attack and letting Masked Marth cut the swordsman down with a stab to the chest. Meanwhile, the Robin twins handled the two cavaliers on the left side, firing their magic behind the cover of trees. Jagen was devoured in one shot of Robinne's Gronnwolf while Robin used Blarraven to shield against Leo's Brynhildr. Robin directed the ravens with his free hand and sent them crashing into Leo, toppling him off his horse.

"Fall back Robin and Robinne! Cecilia is coming close!" I yelled and the twins retreated as Cecilia's Gronnraven cut down the trees they used as cover. Cecilia directed her ravens towards Robin and they came fast. Robin and Robinne both cast their magic to act as shields, but Cecilia's ravens blew through them and smashed the twins to the ground. Robin dissolved into feathers, defeated while Robinne struggled to stand, groggy from the attack.

"You're right where I want you!" Xander slammed his flaming Siegfried onto Cecilia, distinigrating her into purple mist instantly. Tiki squeezed her dragonstone to transform into a gigantic dragon, but Marth's Falchion cleaved Tiki's scales easily, cutting down the manakete in quick fashion.

"Haa… haaa… I don't think I've ever felt this tired in my entire… life…" Robinne panted as Priscilla healed up her wounds with her staff "How… how many more stages to go, Marth?"

"Consistently, it's always been seven battles before we reach the core of the Tempest. Right now, we're at the sixth trial" Marth informed. He didn't seem winded in the slightest, although his grip on Falchion was somewhat unsteady "Keep yourself together Robin. Your brother wouldn't want you to be defeated by this"

The field changed to the Feroxi arena, where the World of Awakening's final battle was fought. Five enemy heroes stood before us, separated by a cluster of short, breakable walls: Lucina, Saizo, Mae, Hawkeye and Clarine. I picked up the new cluster of reward orbs, feathers and crystals as I issued my commands.

"Marth, break the first wall in front of Mae to let Robinne bait her out. Priscilla, break the rightmost wall to let Xander bait out Saizo" I instructed and my troops did what they were told, with the enemy team not even moving a muscle. They were really creepy, with their glowing red eyes, flowing purple mist, complete silence and lack of presence that made them feel alive. After Marth and Priscilla were finished, Robinne and Xander moved into position, aggravating Saizo and Mae to strike. Saizo threw his Smoke Dagger towards Xander, who effortlessly blocked it with his shield, but the dagger unleashed a plume of smoke upon contact, making the cavalier lose sight of Saizo.

"Curses" Xander growled and raised his Siegfried high, unleashing a bolt of dark magic onto the spot Saizo threw his dagger. All Xander heard was the exploding tile of the arena floor, so he moved to the right and caught Saizo attempting to sneak by and catch Xander by surprise. Xander's horse kicked Saizo to the floor while the prince shot a bolt of darkness straight through Saizo's chest, ending the spectral Tempest soldier for good. Meanwhile, Robinne dodged Mae's storm of thunder birds and shredded her tome with B Tomebreaker, knocking her to the floor as Clarine rode in to assist. Robinne's Gronnwolf ate the troubadour and her mount with one cast.

"Robinne, fall back and let Marth take on Lucina and Hawkeye!" I called as Marth swapped places with the tactician "Assist whenever you can. Xander, ride behind them to catch the enemy by surprise"

"You will not stop me!" Marth parried back Hawkeye's giant Killer Axe and stabbed him through the stomach with Luna, pulling out his Falchion as Lucina brought down her own sword on him. Robinne blew back the enemy Lucina with a burst of wind, letting Marth and Xander both impale her on their blades, dissolving Lucina into dark particles.

"Finally, the last battle" I sighed with relief as the battlefield changed for the last time, turning into a map unfamiliar to me or my troops before. Marth seemed to be briefly surprised by the changed battlefield as well.

"T-this is the Dragon's Table. Where my father and Robin fought Validar…" Marth murmured, then covered his mouth "Forget I said anything. This looks to be the core of the Tempest. The leader and source of this chaos should be here"

"Princess Veronica?! What are you doing here?" I gasped in shock as the Emblian princess heard my voice and turned to address me.

"Who are- Oh, it's you. The treacherous summoner who always gets in my way" Veronica glared in my direction "What's with you and coming to disturb my fun with your disdainful "Order of Heroes"?"

"You're destroying the World of Awakening! What "fun" is absolute destruction to you?!" Robinne yelled.

Veronica said nothing, instead opening her tome Elivagar and summoning four heroes to her aid: Hector, Reinhardt, Linde and Takumi. Four of the most powerful heroes at the time.

"There's no point in exchanging words with you. You have come and disturbed my playtime, so I'll kill you. Simple as that" Veronica glowed with the orange light of both Fury and Bonfire "Come then. You came to destroy the Tempest right? You'll have to defeat me first"

"Xander and Marth, engage Hector, defeat him quickly and retreat. Robinne, stand behind them and be prepared to fight Linde" I ordered "Priscilla, stay here in case anyone needs healing. Go!"

The two swordsman rushed forward, flanking Hector from both sides with their swords. Hector decided to go for the frailer of the two swordsmen with his Armads, but missed his swing, imbedding his axe into one of the stone pillars. Hector yanked the Armads out of the pillar just in time to block Xander's strike along with Pavise shielding him from Marth's sneak attack.

"Robinne, help Marth and Xander take down Hector. Linde, Reinhardt and Takumi are approaching fast!" I warned and Robinne shot a blast of Gronnwolf at Hector, bypassing his Pavise and due to Marth and Xander keeping him busy, prevented him from striking back with Distant Counter. Two more Gronnwolf shots later, Hector fell just as the other three enemy heroes arrived. Xander blocked Takumi's spectral arrow and countered with a shadow bolt, rupturing Takumi's side badly, but Reinhardt fired down two azure lightning bolts onto the paladin, defeating him in one go.

"Damn, this is getting bad really fast…" I gritted my teeth "Marth, keep Takumi busy and try to fight him far away as possible from Reinhardt and Linde. Robinne, deal with the two blue mages with your B Tomebreaker and Priscilla, heal Robinne to keep the skill up!"

Marth dashed towards the left as Priscilla healed Robinne. The tactician took attack after attack from Linde and Reinhardt, blowing through thunderbolts and rings of light while counterattacking with Gronnwolf to shred their tomes. Reinhardt fell from one Gronnwolf strike while Linde needed two to finish her off. Marth took an arrow to the bicep, but he switched hands on his Falchion and cut down Takumi swiftly. All that was left now was Veronica.

"Robinne, retreat and let Marth take on Veronica. Don't let her hit you!" I commanded "Priscilla, heal Marth immediately!"

"I'll ease your pain" A shining ray of light shone above us as Priscilla's Rehabilitate sparked with Heavenly Light, healing Marth and Robinne as well. Marth dashed towards Veronica as the princess opened her tome.

"Begone, insignificant doll" Veronica intoned as she summoned a cloud of green mist in Marth's face, willing it to become solid and blast the swordsman backwards. A small line of orange light slashed into Veronica briefly, indicating her use of the Fury skill. However, the cut on Veronica's face from Fury was healed quickly by Renewal, shown by the light green aura surrounding her.

"Just rushing her isn't going to be a good idea unless we can dodge Elivagar" I murmured as I watched the green mist slowly disappear "But it covers too much space and it lingers. We need another strategy"

"Robinne, act as a decoy with Marth behind you. Take an Elivagar shot the best you can to let Marth sneak by and land a killing blow. Priscilla, ride behind them to provide healing support"

Robinne and Marth moved together, with Robinne's gloved hands glowing, ready to fire Gronnwolf. Veronica struck first with Elivagar, blinding Robinne with green fog before knocking her to the ground. A series of explosions, indicating Savage Blow, flinched Marth and Priscilla briefly, but the plan worked just as I wanted it. Marth brought down his Falchion onto Veronica's side and slashed half her arm off, making her scream in pain as blood spilled like a fountain. Taking advantage of her shock, Marth ran his blade through Veronica, impaling her through the chest. I was about to celebrate our victory before I saw Veronica's corpse dissolve into purple dust like the rest of the Tempest soldiers.

"Wha… that wasn't the real Veronica?" I asked, confused as I bent down to pick up the rewards that just appeared: ten more orbs, five bags of Universal Crystals, another large bundle of Hero Feathers and two badge-like things. One of them had the Breath of Life icon on it while the other was purple, like the colour of a special skill.

"No. All the Tempest's cores and vessels are illusions created by it, like the rest of the regular guardians" Marth replied, watching the Dragon's Table fade back to the normal World of Awakening field outside of the Tempest "The Tempest picks through the mind and world it is currently occupying, creating it's vessel and home battlefield to suit it. In this case, we fought this Veronica at the Dragon's Table. A mingling of both your mind and our world"

"I see" I gazed at the badges in my hand again "Any idea what these are though?"

"Oh, I've seen those in a book in the library before" Robinne reached into her torn coat and pulled a leather-bound book that was somehow not damaged in the fights. On the cover was "Askr's Artifacts and Items"

"Let's see… here it is" Robinne showed me a page on the book which shown a badge exactly like the one in my hand. On the top of the page were the words "Sacred Seals" in bold black print.

"Sacred Seals are like badges or pins you can give to heroes that act like an additional skill. Albeit at their weakest form" Robinne flipped to the next page "The seals you're holding in your hand right now are… the Breath of Life seal and the Quickened Pulse seal. Quickened Pulse accelerates the user's special trigger at the start of a fight, allowing them to fire it off more often"

"Interesting. Well Robinne, here" I handed Robinne the Quickened Pulse seal "Consider it a reward for a good well done today in the Tempest"

"Oh…? Thank you very much Lucian. I appreciate it" Robinne pinned the seal to the hem of her coat, displaying it proudly "Well, we should be going back to Askr now. Marth, is this farewell?"

"Not exactly. I believe I'll be joining your army from now on" Marth smiled at me "Your summoner is quite an adept tactician. Not perfect, but nobody is. However, I felt that he has a good heart and charisma from our battles together, so if you don't mind, I'll be joining you"

"No problem. You were superb in the battles in the Tempest. We could really use someone like you" I grinned, opening up Marth's skill menu with a swipe of my hand. He came as a five star hero with the Falchion, Luna, Speed 3 and Spur Attack 3. All in all, pretty good.

"When we arrive back in Askr, go see Prince Alfonse in the castle's right wing. He's the guy with short blue hair and beige armor" I said "He'll teach you everything about what's up in Askr"

"Thank you. May your battles in the future be successful ones" Marth nodded and together, we travelled back through the portal and into Askr.

 _Mysteries Behind the Mask: Chrom and Masked Marth's Conversation_

"Thank you for your time today, Prince Alfonse. I hope I didn't take too much of your time" Masked Marth said as he got up from the chair in the library.

"It's alright. I do this all the time now" Alfonse replied with a smile "Where are you off to now?"

"To explore the castle. Nothing is taking up my time at the moment" Masked Marth stretched briefly "And I'm weary from fighting in the Tempest. Best not to overexert myself by training"

"Sounds good. Have a good time!" Alfonse waved as the swordsman made his way out of the library and towards the training grounds. Even if he was incredibly fatigued from the Tempest, he wanted to swing around a blade for a little while to relax his mind. It was hard to believe that in the world of Askr, he could be free from the duties his mask has given him. He heard from Robin and Robinne that Chrom was in this army as well, so Masked Marth contemplated shedding his mask.

To show his real face.

When he made it to the training yard, he found Chrom alongside other heroes either slashing away at training dummies or sparring against each other. The archers were on the far side of the compound, firing their arrows at targets with loud thwacks ringing through the air. Chrom himself was battering a training dummy with an Iron Sword relentlessly, beating it to the point beyond repair, like he usually does. Masked Marth strolled into the yard, grabbing a dull Iron Sword lying against the wall to use.

"Greetings Prince Chrom. A pleasure to see you here" Masked Marth greeting, stopping Chrom's blade mid swing from pulverizing the dummy even further. The prince faced Masked Marth with a look of surprise.

"Oh! Greetings to you too, Marth. I'm surprised to see you here" Chrom sheathed the training Iron Sword into its leather sheath "I don't recall you being on the recent summoning banner though"

"No. I was recruited into the Askrian army after dealing with the Tempest in the World of Awakening alongside the Robin twins, Prince Xander and Priscilla" Masked Marth replied flatly "Didn't you hear about it?"

"Lissa was having intense headaches and insisted that going to the World of Awakening would fix it" Chrom mused "So did Tharja. I heard from Commander Anna that a vortex was swallowing everything in sight, so I forbid Lissa from going there. That was the Tempest, wasn't it?"

"Yes and it was and I was a good idea to bare Princess Lissa from going" The swordsman nodded "Though heroes cannot permanently die once breathing the air of Askr, you know what it's like to dissolve into feathers like Robin and Xander did, right?"

"Robin mentioned that it felt like his entire body was being torn apart piece by piece and reassembled together when he reappeared in the castle's lobby" Chrom explained "So I wouldn't call it a pleasant experience personally"

"I doubt it is. Anyhow, we cleansed the World of Awakening of the Tempest. Are Princess Lissa and Tharja okay?"

"They are. Lissa said her headache was gone, so she left to go play with Nino and Maria" Chrom confirmed. SIlence hung between the two swordsmen for a little while.

"You know Marth, I find you such a mystery to me. You're a stranger yet I feel so comfortable talking to you. It's like talking to my own family" Chrom said and Masked Marth's heart just about melted.

"That's because I am one of your family" Masked Marth whispered.

"What was that?"

"Prince Chrom, may you join me in my room for a second? I'd like to tell you something"

"Can't you tell me out here?"

"No. It's something more than just a few words. I want this to be private. Between me and you"

"Well… alright. If you feel this adamant about it" Chrom hung up the practice Iron Sword and so did Masked Marth. The two of them went to Masked Marth's room in the barracks and shut the door.

"So… what's the big reveal you want to show me?" Chrom asked and Masked Marth took a deep breath, steadying himself.

"You wondered what I whispered under my breath, did you?"

"Yeah"

"Well, I whispered "That's because I am one of your family" because…" Masked Marth reached up and gently pulled the mask off his face, revealing the face of Lucina. She used her other hand to flick her pinned hair free, letting her azure blue hair fall onto her back.

She smiled brightly "Greetings again, Prince Chrom. I am Lucina. Your daughter"

"I knew "Marth" was you the entire time. Lucina, my grown up daughter…" Chrom grasped Lucina tightly in a hug and Lucina returned it, smiling while tears went down her face "I'm guessing the timeline you came from was when you first met us at arena Ferox?"

"Yes. After I lost the duel with you, I encountered Anna on the outskirts of the arena, where she directed me to the Dragon's Gate to assume my new duty of quelling the Tempest" Lucina explained "Tell me Fathers, what happened in our timeline? Did we defeat Grima?"

"Yes we did. I dealt the final blow and sealed Grima within the Falchion. He won't be returning for several millennia" Chrom winced at the memory of fighting Robinne possessed by Grima back in the World of Awakening "However… I had to fight Robinne possessed by the Fell Dragon in the World of Awakening, due to the sealing leaving a fragment of Grima's spirit within her. So it's not… fully sure that Grima's really gone"

"Either way, I don't think we have to deal with it here. Robinne didn't seem to harbor any of the Fell Dragon's darkness within her" Lucina smiled "You know… it was a good idea to come here. It gives me something new to fight for and I get to reunite with everyone I've lost in my world. Like you for instance"

"Yes. It truly is a wonderful place" Chrom got up from Lucina's bed "You want to go out to the castle town and shop for a while? Just me and you. Father and daughter time"

"I'd love to, father" Lucina got up excitingly, adjusting the Falchion on her belt "Speaking of which, did Lucian summon mother yet?"

"No, he didn't unfortunately. No summoning banner has come in with her yet either" Chrom sighed, but ruffled Lucina's hair "But we have to be patient. She'll come eventually. Better that we wait than pester Lucian, right?"

"Of course. Well, let's go out before it gets too late!" Lucina grabbed Chrom's hand and both father and daughter headed out to the castle town together.

 **And that was the first Tempest Trials, which is notorious for being the hardest TT of them all due to the cramped final map, Veronica's insane stats at the time and the score requirement for Quickened Pulse being utterly ridiculous (50,000 score) with no TT bonuses or daily score multipliers. For this fic, Tempest Trials will be seven consecutive battles with the rewards appearing every three stages (10 orbs, 5000 Hero Feathers and about 20000 Universal Crystals for a total of 20 orbs, 10k feathers and 40k crystals along with the seals) and will only be done once. Coming up next is the Echoes of Mystery paralogue and then the War of the Clerics VG. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow! If you want to give me criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time summoners!**


	33. Paralogue 7: Echoes of Mystery

A Summoner's Journey

Paralogue 7: Echoes of Mystery

 _Team for this chapter: Lucina, Camus, Minerva and Kagero_

After the chaos that was the Tempest, hearing that Embla has invaded the World of Mystery yet again was a relief to hear. After Anna notified me of the invasion, I rounded up Masked Marth, Camus, Minerva and Kagero to be my team to liberate the World of Mystery. Though strangely, Masked Marth's mask was off and his hair was much longer, reaching down to his back. He looked strikingly identical to Lucina.

"Did I miss something yesterday? Because I remember picking up Masked Marth after the battle in the Tempest" I said and Camus winced while "Marth" giggled.

"Because you went to sleep early, you missed Marth's huge revelation at the dinner table" Camus explained "He was actually Lucina the whole time. Chrom's daughter"

"Oh… well, that was unexpected. Why did you fake your identity and call yourself Marth anyways?" I asked Lucina.

"It's a long story. Too long for me to tell right now" Lucina pointed to the World of Mystery portal "We have an invasion to take care of first. Maybe after this is finished, me and you can go to the garden and I can explain?"

"Sounds good. Let's make this one quick then" I nodded and we leaped into the swirling portal, crossing the stream of time and space. The portal deposited us in the empty throne room of Altea Castle, where two cavaliers, a fire mage and an archer were awaiting us. The fire mage murmured to the lance cavalier next to her and approached us, hands up as if she was surrendering. Camus instinctively moved in front of me with his horse just in case the mage pulled a fast one and stabbed me with a knife.

"Greetings. My name is Katarina" The mage introduced herself in a quiet, but steady voice. She wasn't bad looking either. I found myself quite entranced by her dainty, elegant figure. Then I remembered Catria and suddenly felt guilty "I aspire to be a tactician, so I'm training with the Altean knights. However, Princess Veronica holds us bound by contract, so we have no choice but to fight"

"We've heard that before. So we simply have to defeat you and you'll be freed of your contract?" I asked and Katarina nodded.

"Given you show enough strength, then yes. We'll be freed" The mage held out her hand, summoning a tome with a golden wing branded on the cover "I'd hate to impose you like this, but we have no choice. Please, just make it quick and painless"

"We'll try to" I nodded with a smile and Katarina smiled back before swiping her hand forward, warping herself back to her allies. The sword cavalier recklessly rushed in first, brandishing his Brave Sword.

"I'm a legend in the making!" Luke hollered as he clashed sword to lance with Camus, forcing the Grustian knight on the defensive with his Brave Sword. A fierce red aura burst under Luke's feet, letting him strike Camus with much more force than expected.

"Lucina, assist Camus in taking down the sword cavalier" I instructed and Lucina rushed in to assist while Katarina called out a command of her own.

"Luke! Don't be reckless! Pull back!" The tactician yelled, but Luke didn't listen, continuing to engage with Camus while ignoring Lucina, who was coming in to stab the cavalier in the back "Luke!"

"I'll handle this Katarina" The lance cavalier galloped forward towards Lucina, catching her by surprise with a lance I never saw before. He brought down his lance in a downward thrust and Lucina jumped back to dodge, but the lance erupted in a fiery explosion soon after, preventing her from counter striking Roderick. Kagero landed a swift dagger throw to Luke's head, freeing up Camus to help Lucina fight Roderick. The Grustian paladin engaged with the Altean cavalier, pushing him back easily with expert skill using his Gradivus. For some reason, Roderick never attempted to counterattack with his lance, despite Camus's attack patterns not being reckless and furious like Luke's.

"Minerva, fly behind the lance cavalier while he's distracted by Camus and land the killing blow. Watch out for Katarina if she comes close" I commanded "Kagero, keep an eye out for Katarina and be prepared to take her down"

Kagero retreated into the shadows while Minerva took flight in the high throne room. Camus missed an attack with his lance and left himself open to attack. Roderick darted to the side with his horse and lunged with his burning red lance, preparing to stab Camus in the side. Luckily, Lucina leapt and ran her Falchion through Roderick's back, ending the cavalier for good. Camus threw his Gradivus straight through the enemy archer's heart, forcing Katarina to step up to fight.

"If only my magic was stronger. I could of Warped and attack at the same time…!" Katarina murmured as she opened her Rauorowl tome, creating a spark of flaming birds in her palm. She thrust her hand out and sent out a storm of spiritual birds towards Camus and Lucina, who were rapidly approaching. The birds slowed their process, especially Lucina's, but Camus leveled his spear and threw it towards the tactician, Gradivus glowing gold as it sailed through the air. Katarina stepped back to dodge and prepared to cast again, but Kagero dashed from under the shadows of a pillar and cut Katarina's throat with her Poison Dagger. The fire mage collapsed to the ground instantly before dissolving into luminous feathers.

"I can't thank you enough for freeing us from that contract. I'm so glad" Katarina smiled warmly when she reappeared in a flash of magic "If you'd like, I could lead you to some of my other allies who are trapped by the same contract. I'm sure they would love to be freed"

"Absolutely. Lead the way Katarina" I nodded and the tactician took the lead while Lucina leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"Lucian, as bad as the truth is, we can't trust someone like her so easily. What if she lures us into a trap?" Lucina whispered and Camus nodded in agreement beside her. Kagero and Minerva were both giving me skeptical looks as well while Katarina silently led us out of Altea castle.

"We can trust her. She's simply a tactician training with the Altean knights and is leading us to help free her other allies. Nothing shady about it" I whispered back.

"Still, the feeling of unease clings to me. I can sense a bloody and shady background with Katarina" Camus murmured under his breath "Don't be so quick to trust her, Lord Lucian. Trust towards a stranger leads to a quick death"

"Lucian won't change his decision. I can tell that much" Minerva said quietly and I blushed, embarrassed "So the best course of action is to be prepared to guard Lucian, if Katarina were to lead us into an ambush"

"I suppose that's what we'll have to do. If only you weren't so stubborn and infatuated with Katarina…" Kagero shook her head in disappointment and I nearly would of yelped out in protest if Lucina didn't cover my mouth in time.

"Is something the matter?" Katarina asked, genuine curiosity marking her face. I shook my head and she nodded "Okay. Just a little bit farther and we should make it to an ally camp"

"Gah, was Altea formerly in Regna Ferox or something? Because it's so cold here…!" Lucina shivered as snow blanketed the land around us, a clear indication that we are up north. Minerva's wyvern screeched in agreement.

Katarina shook her head "Altea is way southwest of us. I have no idea why it's snowing like this. Maybe something to do with yours and Embla's armies changing the climate?"

"I remember when we first went to the World of Blazing, we transitioned from the Dread Isle to the region of Santaruz in an instant, as if we stepped through a mirage" I recalled "Maybe we're doing the same thing here. After all, Altea Castle disappeared behind us"

"Likely so. Today's a day for odd occurrences, I suppose" Katarina opened her palm and summoned a ball of fire to melt the snow and warm us up "Oh! Something's up ahead"

We found ourselves in a vacated snow village, with a bridge crossing over a frozen river and three defense tiles in the center.

"You don't mind if we rest here for a little, do you? I'm sure all of you are tired" Katarina threw her fireball at the old bonfire in the village square, igniting a warm blaze "There are log benches around the fire, so come and rest"

"Wait Katarina. Something doesn't feel right" Minerva interrupted and her wyvern nodded, sniffing around the village "The village looked empty, but I heard multiple footsteps and someone crunching on a twig around here"

"Really? I didn't hear anything" Katarina stared at Minerva, confused "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. I'm absolutely sure-" An arrow barely missed me and Minerva grabbed me by my hood, hoisting me onto her dragon while flying high in the sky "Ambush!"

"A fighter, myrmidon, thunder mage and archer are coming in! Camus, engage the swordswoman and archer. Lucina, deal with the masked fighter and Kagero, take down the mage!" I commanded, my voice getting shrill in the winter wind "Katarina, help out Lucina!"

"You can't trust that woman! She led us into a trap!" Minerva hissed as she shot down from the sky and dive bombed the archer with her Hauteclere, saving Camus the trouble "She's our enemy. We need to kill her"

"Minerva, she's helping Lucina fight the axe fighter" I said as Minerva turned her dragon 180 degrees to smack the myrmidon in the face with its tail "It's fine! She wasn't aware of the trap either!"

"That trust is going to get you killed later. Believe me!" Minerva took to the skies again and hovered over Katarina and Lucina, who were fighting the masked axe fighter.

"Uwee hee hee! What are yous doing fighting meses Reese? That wasn't what youses were supposed to doses!" The axe fighter swung his unidentified axe down onto Lucina, who darted back and slashed his chest.

Katarina said nothing and simply glowed with light blue energy while opening her Rauorowl tome. She thrust out her hand towards the axe fighter "Sorry to do this… Glacies!"

A swarm of fiery birds along with a bullet storm of sharp icicles spewed from Katarina's glowing tome and peppered the axe fighter endlessly until he was lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. As he dissolved into feathers and I dismounted Minerva's wyvern, Kagero reappeared beside me, reporting that the thunder mage has been slain. A bloodstained wrapping of gauze was wrapped over her waist, implying she took a hit while fighting the mage.

"I didn't think any ambush like this would be here in this village" Katarina murmured as she closed her tome "I'm so sorry Lord Lucian. You must think me as a traitor for luring you into this trap"

"Nonsense. You fought alongside us in this battle and did well for yourself. I wouldn't mind having you in our army personally" I replied easily "If you don't mind, that is. You're a friend to us now, so I just wanted to ask"

"I'd be happy to. It's hard to tell what's going on in this world after Embla's invasion, but…" Katarina shook her head "Let's talk about this after you're done here. Let's try to find a way down this mountain first"

We traveled through the snowdrift with Katarina lighting the way with her fireball. Eventually, the path slowly winded downwards and the snow vanished, replacing itself with short hills surrounding a clearing.

"Oh, it happened again. Behind us is Altea Castle" Katarina noted "Now would be a good time to stop"

"Why? I don't see anyone here" I said as Katarina walked forward, opening her tome "Katarina?"

"I'm sorry Lucian. If you came any further, you'll be caught in a trap set by us" The tactician apologized, turning to face me with a quiet fire raging in her eyes "I know you meant it when you said you wanted me in your army. I know you think of me as your friend. So I'll spill it now. My real name is Reese and I was sent to kill you. All of you"

"W-what? You… you were an assassin the whole time Katarina?" I asked shocked "Why didn't you just stab me in the back while we were on the road?"

"You had an elite guard of heroes and the plan was to win your trust so in the next battle, I could take you out with this" Katarina pulled out a small knife locked in a sheath from inside her sleeve "But… after talking with you, I just… just can't do it. So now, we have to fight head on. Legion? Clarisse? Sorry for the trouble"

""Trouble" she says. Making friends with the enemy!" A blond archer spat in disgust as she revealed herself from behind a tree "Could you be any more worthless?"

"Uwee hee hee! What a liars you are! You saids "Dos what you likes!" That's what she didses!" Legion reminded Clarisse and the archer reared her hand back to slap Legion before reining it back.

"Shut up. It's time to clean this mess" Clarisse glared at Katarina "You better not mess this up. Same goes for that swordswoman"

"I promise I won't this time Clarisse. Okay, I'll issue commands from the backlines while you three take the front" Katarina began "Clarisse, stay behind the hills and trees and snipe them one by one. Take down the wyvern rider first. Legion, hold back and wait for them to approach and Athena, sneak behind the mountains to get the jump on Lucian from behind!"

Meanwhile, I was issuing my own orders.

"Minerva, stay to the air and alert us of any sneak attacks. Watch out for the archer as she might be hiding in the terrain to catch us off guard" I said and Minerva shot into the sky "Lucina and Camus, take the front and defeat Katarina as fast as possible. Kagero, stay in the shadows and launch attacks whenever you can. Go!"

My heroes moved in action just as Katarina's troops moved. Clarisse's ebony black arrow sailed towards Camus and he raised his silver tower shield to deflect the arrow. However, on contact, the arrow exploded into a veil of smoke like the Smoke Dagger, blinding Lucina and Camus.

"Move in while they are blinded Legion!" Katarina ordered and the masked axe fighter rushed into the smoke while laughing maniacally.

"Camus and Lucina, pull back now!" I called and my two front line units retreated with a insane axe murderer on their heels. Minerva landed beside me to report that the myrmidon from the last battle was approaching from the mountains and Kagero was retreating back.

"Camus, ride towards my left to deal with the swordswoman. Lucina, sneak by the right hills to flank the enemy team on the back" I called as Minerva headbutted Legion with her dragon and then finished him off with an axe strike to the face, cleaving his face and mask in two. Meanwhile, Camus galloped towards Athena, his Gradivus clashing with the swordswoman's Wo Dao.

"Prepare for worst!" Athena's thick, foreign accent rang through the air as she slammed her blade down onto Camus, the visage of Moonbow blazing in the air. Thanks to her Wo Dao, the attack did a number on Camus, but he countered with a devastating Bonfire strike, taking down Athena for good.

"If there is one thing I hate about these arrows, it's that I can never shoot after they hit something. Stupid smoke…" Clarisse grumbled as she nocked another arrow while the smoke cleared, letting it fly towards Minerva. The wyvern rider flew up to dodge and the arrow collided with Altea's wall behind us, thankfully putting the smoke plume far from the battle.

"While she's still nocking an arrow, charge in to finish her off Minerva. Lucina should of reached Katarina by now!" I commanded and Minerva rushed towards Clarisse, her dragon snapping the trees Clarisse was hiding behind. If there was one weakness archers had, it's that they were vulnerable after firing their arrow. Clarisse rolled away from the snapped trees while reaching for an arrow in her quiver, but Minerva swung her Hauteclere in a wide arc and left Clarisse staggering with a giant gash on her waist. Minerva's dragon slammed its chin into the archer and she disintegrated into feathers. Meanwhile, Lucina charged at Katarina from the side and the tactician expelled a short plume of fire from her hand to ward her off. She took that opportunity to back up, but Camus rode behind her and lanced Katarina through with Gradivus, ending the battle finally.

"Thank you for using your strength to free us from the contract. Lucian... I really am sorry" Katarina apologized "Truly. I know you can't forgive me, but... hearing you call me a friend... It really did make me happy. Farewell and… may we meet again"

Katarina walked off silently, disappearing into the shade of the trees nearby. I sighed and slumped in discontent while I summoned a portal back to Askr with the Breidablik. Lucina placed her hand on my shoulder as I told the others to go ahead into the portal.

"Are you alright Lucian?" Lucina asked gently.

"In the end, all of you were right. Katarina was nothing but a dirty traitor" I muttered, feeling my grip on the Breidablik loosen "It was just like all you said"

"Lucian, don't be blind to the truth. Katarina betrayed out trust yes, but she had a change of heart because of you. She stopped us before the trap was sprung and told us in our face about it, forcing her to fight us head on. Fights assassins rarely win" Lucina reminded me "If you don't trust people, they can't betray you. But you won't be able to make meaningful connections that let you keep your back open for others to protect"

"But you could get lied to, back stabbed, betrayed or played with. Just like today" I replied back slowly, but Lucina shook her head in denial.

"Trust is a beautiful thing Lucian. Without it, we'll all go mad and feel alone in this world. Trust was very important to my mission as well" The princess reassured me "Trust doesn't come easy to most, especially the heroes in this world, but you are an innocent soul. Keep that innocence and I swear on the Falchion we'll keep you safe from anyone trying to play with that trust"

"Thank you Lucina. I needed that pep talk" I smiled and Lucina did the same "I'll just keep my guard up from now on. Won't be trusting any pretty faces right away now"

"Glad to hear it. Let's get back to Askr now"

…

In the evening, I headed towards the summoning ruins with the Echoes of Mystery banner in my hand and my orb bag stuffed with a large sum of 38 orbs. No matter what, I was getting Katarina today. After Lucina gave me the pep talk, I understood Katarina's actions and felt pity for her. The poor tactician wasn't made to be an assassin. Accompanying me to the ruins were the Robin twins, Marth and Catria.

"Is it just me or did the summoning ruins change since last time?" Robin noted when we arrived. He was right. The old summoning ruins was a hollow box of stone with five large crystal balls imbedded into the wall, with the altar underneath it and the banner slot near the front. Now, the summoning "ruins" was a mystical spire glowing with multicoloured light led up by a staircase of quartz white steps on a hillside. The marble floor of the altar was lined with glass that glowed with low blue light.

"So this was what Anna was doing after I summoned Bride Charlotte" I realized as I pulled five orbs from my orb bag and set them into the Breidablik. Robin took the banner from my hand and slid it into the slot on the floor, which was near the staircase. After I loaded my five orbs, a vision burned into the air in front of me, resembling the wall with the crystal balls in the old ruins. Three colorless orbs and two red orbs were my selections.

"Well, it's either Katarina or Luke, so let's hope for the former. We don't need another sword cavalier after Xander" I pointed to the red orb with my Breidablik and the vision disappeared, my divine weapon shaking to indicate it was ready to fire. I clicked the trigger and my five orbs flew out in a beautiful rainbow spiral towards the spire, colliding with the crystal sphere in the center together in a white flash. Light went down the spire and dust blew from the sides before erupting in a pillar of blinding light. When the light faded, I almost believed that it was fate that brought the short haired tactician to Askr. Standing before me was Katarina herself.

"Please call me Katarina. I once aspired to be a tactician, but that didn't really go through. I have magic though" Katarina brought up her Rauorowl+ tome to emphasize "Happy to be here at last Lucian"

"You're the same one from our fight in the World of Mystery?" I asked and Katarina nodded "Whoa… what are the chances? One timeline among millions and we got the exact one"

"Pleased to meet you all. I hope I could be of some aid" Katarina bowed respectfully to the Robin twins, then faced Marth and Catria "Oh! Prince Marth and Catria of the Whitewings. Nice to see you here too"

"You know me?" Both Marth and Catria asked in unison.

"Those two are from the timeline after the War of Shadows. They don't know you yet" I told Katarina "Maybe you can talk with them for a bit while I continue summoning?"

"Wouldn't knowing the future be bad for them?"

"As far as I know, sending a hero back to their original world wipes their memories of Askr and anything they heard in here. Anna told me that" I replied "So I wouldn't worry"

"Okay then. That's good" Katarina walked over and struck up a conversation with Marth and Catria while the Robins continued watching me summon. Summing it up, I got a handful of four star and three star units, including Jeorge, Hana, Saizo, Shanna, Effie and Raven. Once my orbs were gone, we made our way back to the castle.

"Katarina's cute, isn't she?" Robin said quietly as he hauled me ahead of the group for them not to hear "And another tactician for our little squad"

"You're looking at her funny. You aren't falling for her already, are you?" I asked skeptically and Robin shook his head, exasperated.

"Unlike a certain archer I know, I don't instantly fall in love with a woman after a first glance. Looks aren't everything, you know" The tactician replied "I'll start by being friends with her and working up from there. That's how you're doing it with Catria, right?"

I sighed, too tired from the battles to even be embarrassed "I suppose I am. Good luck then Robin. I'll stay off of Katarina for yours and Catria's sake"

"Heh, I knew you were thinking about Katty too" Robin snickered, then left me alone when Robinne moved closer to hear about what we were saying.

"What were you two talking about?" Robinne asked.

I yawned "Guy stuff. Oh look, we're here at the castle. Goodnight"

Before Robinne could respond, I walked up the staircase and into my bedroom, falling asleep the instant my head hit the pillow. Life in Askr was never going to not be tiring for me.

And I loved it.

 **Tacticians of the Past and Future - Robin and Katarina's C Support**

"Good evening Katarina. Enjoying Askr so far?" Robin asked as he took the empty spot next to Katarina on the garden bench.

"Hello Robin. Yes, this place is better than what I hoped it to be. The countryside looks beautiful and castle itself is as majesty as Altea castle" Katarina replied, smiling "I have to note the library though. Books from every timeline and continent throughout history… I could spend days in there"

"Seems like you're the same as I. I spend nearly every waking moment in there, studying foreign military strategies and magical rituals to gain an edge over my foes. You know about the historical Battle of Belhalla?" Robin asked.

"No, I'm afraid I couldn't find anything like that in Altea's library" Katarina shook her head.

"Well, to put it this way, the duke of Velthomer, Arvis acted as the heir to Chalphy, Sigurd's ally for several years, helping him subjugate the countries Verdane and Agustria via a Silver Sword or his little brother, Azel" Robin explained "After Sigurd's been branded a traitor for killing the prince of the imperial continent, Grannvale, Arvis welcomes Sigurd and his army to explain themselves and prove themselves innocent"

"What happened next?" Katarina's curiosity only grew as Robin continued his story, despite her knowing nothing about the people in it.

"Sigurd's army rode into the imperial capital of Belhalla, thinking that they could finally clear their names and prove the prince's real killer" Robin continued "And then Arvis flipped around and trapped Sigurd's army with the army of Velthomer, the Roten Ritter. Along with them, Arvis destroyed Sigurd and his army utterly, wiping them off the face of the earth with Meteor magic"

"That's horrible…"

"I must commend Arvis for holding out his game for that long to activate his plan, but yeah, it was terrible" Robin agreed "The battle began the slow destruction of the entire continent, but Seliph, Sigurd's son, and his army managed to save it"

"This is so interesting. I need to go to the library to read up more on this" Katarina stood up "You… you wouldn't mind coming with me, right? I need you to find the right book for me and… I just want you with me. You remind me so much of someone dear to me"

"Of course. Come on, follow me" Robin took Katarina's hand like a gentleman and led her towards the library.

"So I heard you were training to become a tactician, but you said it didn't work out" Robin continued while the two were walking "Why is that?"

"You wouldn't hate me if I said the truth?"

"Given the correct reasoning, I wouldn't"

"Okay, I'll trust you not to then" Katarina took a deep breath "My true desire is to become a tactician, but I was actually trained as an assassin my whole life"

"Well, that's a revelation if I've ever heard on" Robin didn't look fazed in the slightest. Katarina thought he must of dealt with people like her before "When we get to the library, I want to hear your story. A young, beautiful lady like you doesn't look fit for the bloody life of an assassin"

"Oh uhm… thank you?" Katarina blushed at the compliment "But you're right. I'm not fit to be an assassin. I befriended the platoon I was apart of in Altea and I grew attached to Lucian to the point where I told him we were going into a trap on the pure instinct that I wanted him to be safe"

"And those traits breed an excellent teammate to have around" Robin smiled "If you want to, maybe I could tutor you to be a tactician. You said it was your true desire"

"You really don't need to do all of this for me Robin. I'm sure you're busy enough" Katarina protested, but Robin shook his head.

"I've had a lot of time to kill these days. It wouldn't hurt to be in the library with someone besides my sister for a change" Robin replied "Also, if you're wondering why I'm not surprised by you being an assassin is because I've heard much worse. Myself included"

When they reached the library, Robin pulled off his glove to show Katarina the Brand of the Fell Dragon. A deep purple mark adorned with six eyes that seemed to stare into your soul.

"Compared to you, I'm much worse" Robin explained, tugging his glove back on "Me and my sister are vessels for the fell dragon Grima, the apocalyptic dragon of darkness and annihilation who almost destroyed Lucina's world entirely"

"You're explaining this to me awfully calmly. I doubt you share this so lightly with anyone else" Katarina replied, shocked.

"No I don't. Nobody else here knows besides the other heroes from the World of Awakening" Robin took a seat at his favourite table near the window, sweeping various papers to the side "I'm just telling you to remind you that in this world, your dark past doesn't matter. People accept me for what I am now and I'm technically a much larger threat than anyone will ever be"

"I'm glad to hear that. To be honest, I was afraid I wasn't going to be accepted easily here" Katarina accepted the book Robin handed to her as she lit a candle with her fire magic "How long have you been here anyways?"

"I was one of the first heroes Lucian summoned here. The only heroes who came before me are Eliwood, Niles, Odin, Caeda and Maria" Robin replied while reading the spines on the book pile lying on the table "So anyways, shall we start on your tactician lessons today? Or do you want to read for a little while?"

"Let's read for a bit. I want to start lessons tomorrow when I'm refreshed after sleeping" Katarina glanced at the luminous moon overhead through the glass dome ceiling "I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to focus, given how tired I am"

"Sounds good. I doubt I could teach very well either, since I spent today fighting in the training tower with Prince Alfonse, Nino and Celica" Robin opened his leather-bound book, titled "The Goddess of Radiant Dawn: Tellius Saga Book II". Katarina opened her own book, titled "Genealogy of the Holy War: Book I", stealing glances at Robin from atop the volume.

Early in the morning, Alfonse came into the library and found the two tacticians sleeping together on the couch, books of many kinds on the table and ground. Katarina's head was resting on Robin's chest like a pillow. Alfonse simply sighed, but smiled at the adorable scene. He gathered up the scattered books on the floor and stacked them on the table nearby for the two to organize later and covered them with a blanket in the couch compartment.

"I'll be seeing these two a lot in the library from now on…" Alfonse murmured to himself.

 **And that wraps up the paralogue from my favorite game in the series: New Mystery of the Emblem. This paralogue was really a pain in the ass in Lunatic, as IS bumped the enemy stats to level 40+ levels and given that Katarina, Clarisse, Legion and Athena are all fast, this made them all near-immune to being doubled there. Brave weapons didn't work either, since being level 40+ means your HP goes far past 45 or higher. Other than that, have a cute scene with Katarina and Robin since I have them S supported together in Heroes. Coming next is the War of the Clerics VG and the Legion GHB (which had the first Infernal difficulty) If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to give me constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time!**


	34. VG: War of the Clerics

A Summoner's Journey

VG: War of the Clerics

I will never not be tired from Voting Gauntlets. Every time, I dreaded the six days away from Askr to participate in a competition I didn't even enjoy. Oh well, I needed the Hero Feathers, so I sucked it up and went anyways. I found Katarina and Robin sleeping together on the couch when I entered the library. I smiled, silently celebrating Robin's quick success with the wayward tactician.

"What are you doing here so early Lucian?" Alfonse asked beside me. He was cleaning his chalkboard in preparation for daily lessons about Askr with the other heroes. It kinda became his usual duty at this point. Alfonse only went out to fight on his free days.

"I woke up early this morning, so I'm waiting for Catria to wake up so we can go to the voting gauntlet" I glanced at the two tacticians snoozing contently nearby "I intended to take Katarina there, just to get to know her better but I'm guessing those two are occupied at the moment"

"Yeah I took a peek at Robin's planner since it fell on the ground and he wrote that he was tutoring Katarina to be a tactician today" Alfonse replied as he organized a stack of papers on his desk.

"Good for them. We could use another tactician in our squad"

"Good morning Mr Alfonse!" I heard Nino from the library's entrance.

"Ah, looks like my first student has arrived. I'll see you around Lucian" Alfonse left to greet Nino, along with the ever growing group of other heroes showing up to his class. That left me alone to find my favourite rocking chair in the far corner, with the morning sunlight beaming down through the window. I pulled a fictional book from my robe and began to read until late morning.

"Were you here the entire time, Lucian?" Priscilla interrupted me from my reading. She had a tray of food in one hand and her staff in the other "I didn't spot you at breakfast today"

"How long was I here anyways?" I mused as I bookmarked my book and stared out the window "Whoa it's almost noontime"

"Here, take this then" Priscilla set down her tray onto the table beside me "Always good to be on a full stomach before heading off to fight"

"And I'm not even the one fighting. I'm just yelling orders" I took the chocolate muffin the bit into it, savoring the sweet, sugary taste "Thank you, by the way"

"You're welcome. If you're wondering, Catria patrolling with Cordelia, Minerva and Palla. They should be back in three hours or so"

"How do you know that?"

"I passed by them in the barracks this morning and Catria asked me to pass the message to you. I guess she knew you were taking her to the voting gauntlet"

"She reads me like a book sometimes" I took a sip of orange juice "Thank you for passing the message. How've you been lately?"

"Honestly, I've been feeling much stronger than usual nowadays. I hardly recognize myself in the mirror anymore" Priscilla brought her staff down onto her gloved free hand "Back then, I knew nothing of the world-or worlds- before all this and especially not battle. I've changed so much for the better and I believe you deserve the credit for it"

"Well, I wasn't expecting to hear that today, but I'm glad you told me this" I smiled "It always feels so good to hear people openly express their thankfulness towards you"

"I wholeheartedly agree. So if it's okay with you, I'll be staying here for the time being. I believe me and you make a good team" Priscilla smiled warmly at me before glancing out the window "Ah, I think it's time to meet with Olivia, Celica and Lachesis. The three of us have been learning to play instruments, you know"

"Really now? What are you playing?"

"The flute. One of my comrades from my world played it. His name was Nils" Priscilla stared out the window distantly, reminiscing on old memories "His song was so relaxing and beautiful. It's like his notes rode the wind. I want to be able to play like that someday"

"I'm sure you will given practice and time" I pulled the troubadour away from the window "But I think you should be going now. Wouldn't want to keep your friends waiting"

"Of course. Thanks for reminding me" Priscilla nodded "See you around and have fun at the voting gauntlet!"

"I'm sure I will" I muttered sarcastically and Priscilla giggled as she left the library. I finished the rest of my breakfast and tucked my book into my robe. I handed my tray to a passing maid to bring back to the kitchen and ran towards the main gates to await Catria's return. The four fliers arrived once the afternoon hours struck and after they gave me their reports on the patrol, Minerva, Cordelia and Palla flew to the stables to dismount. Catria stayed behind, staring at me expectantly.

"So I'm guessing we're departing to southern Askr to attend this voting gauntlet?" The pegasus knight asked as she wiped some blood off her Killer Lance with a washcloth. I suspected the four fliers had some bandit trouble while on their patrol.

"Yeah. The competitors are Priscilla, Elise, Sakura, Lachesis, Maria, Mist, Lissa and Clarine" I replied "We're taking the side of Priscilla in this gauntlet"

"I see. Would you like to fly with me on my pegasus? We can get there faster if we do" Catria suggested "If you don't mind, that is"

"Of course I don't mind. But are you sure your pegasus would be fine with me being on? I heard they don't like men" I said and the Whitewing's pegasus nickered in protest.

"That's a misconception. Pegasi are fine with men, but they only accept women as their riders" Catria rubbed her pegasus's head affectionately "That's because only a female's blood can bond with a pegasus and link their lives together… you know what, I'll just explain while we're flying. Best not to waste time"

"Right" I nodded and climbed onto the saddle after Catria, holding her waist to hang on. Catria nodded to her pegasus and it kicked its wings into flight, galloping an invisible trail in the sky.

"Whoa, this is incredible! I flew with Minerva once while in the World of Mystery, but I was too focused on the battle to admire the sight!" I marvelled as I gazed down at the regal white Askran castle and vast fields of grass, with farms and forests dotting the landscape. If this was what fliers saw everyday, I would happily do anything to become one. Sadly, Catria told me that pegasi don't accept male riders, but maybe I could find myself a wyvern?

"The sight is gorgeous. Whenever I arrive to a new area in my world or Askr, I always get a bird's eye view first" Catria grinned "Flying is truly a gift and I'm so thankful pegasi and wyverns are there for us"

Catria's pegasus smiled in response.

"So what were you talking about with the whole blood link thing with pegasi and riders?" I asked as loud as I could over the roar of the wind.

"Basically, only female blood can bond with a pegasus for them to accept you and allow you to ride with them. Because of the blood bond, the rider and pegasus's lives are linked together!" Catria shouted back "If one of them dies, the other does too. It's the price us fliers have to pay to be able to do this!"

"But since we're in Askr, that condition doesn't apply, right?! I mean, all the heroes I summoned never died or disappeared unless I will them so!" My voice was getting strained by yelling through the loud gale.

"Yeah, that's true! I remember Cordelia shooting me down back during the bridal brawl. Just an hour later, I reappeared back in my room and my pegasus was fine" The flier replied, her short blue hair whipping me in the face due to how close I was to her "That means there's no risk of blood bonding with a pegasus or wyvern. Still though, I don't think they accept male riders!"

"Subaki rides a pegasus and he's a guy!"

"Well, pegasus in his home world probably work differently then. Subaki looks KINDA feminine, so maybe that's why!"

"Shouting over the wind is making my voice hurt" I cleared my throat "Let's talk when we reached the voting gauntlet"

"Sounds good" Catria narrowed her eyes down "Is that it?"

I followed her gaze and saw a tall starlight blue portal nearly below us. Inside the portal was the usual interdimensional tunnel along with the voting gauntlet arena.

"Yep, that's it. Fly straight into it" I nodded and Catria directed her pegasus in a smooth downward curve straight into the portal, travelling between dimensions at light speed. Just as quick as we entered, we arrived in the voting gauntlet pocket dimension. I dismounted and Catria did the same, looking around for any stables to keep her pegasus in.

"I remember seeing one next to the hotel. Let's see if we can get your pegasus in there" I said and Catria nodded, gesturing to her mount to follow us to the stables, where a man in typical farmer's clothing was giving some sort of card to each hero riding a mount, be in a horse, pegasus or dragon. The line was long unfortunately, so we were going to be here for a long time.

"Heeyyy! Good to see you again Lucian!" Saria tapped me on the back playfully and I turned, noticing that the hero she decided to bring was one of the recent Grand Hero Battle heroes: Camus.

"Nice to see you again too Saria. It's been a while, hasn't it?" I greeted as me and Catria moved up the line "How have you been lately?"

"I've been alright, thanks for asking" Saria replied, glancing at Camus every once in a while "Which team are you backing up for this gauntlet? I'm with Sakura since she's been my top healer since I came to Askr"

"I'm backing up Priscilla for the same reason" I replied, sliding my hands into my pant pockets "Technically, Maria was my prime healer until the Blazing Shadows banner, but Priscilla took over that spot recently"

"I see. So that means you're up against Clarine while I'm against Elise first" Saria pursed her lips "I have a feeling I'll be joining Priscilla's team soon considering Elise's popularity"

"Care to explain?"

"Elise is a troubadour and therefore, has the advantage over every infantry healer, including Sakura" Saria explained "And I believe Elise is on the top when it comes to magical prowess and speed. She can put out a lot of force with her staff surprisingly"

"Interesting. But you never know. Maybe Sakura has a lot of hidden fans partaking in the gauntlet" I shrugged "It's admirable that you're supporting someone, even if you know they're going to lose"

"Sakura was a lifesaver in my early days since she was my only healer. I want to at least try to repay that debt by fighting on her side in this gauntlet" The summoner nodded, then looked in front of me "The line's moving up"

"Ah right" We made it to the front of the line, where the farm hand nodded at me, holding out his hand for payment.

"1000 gold and we'll keep stable space for your hero's mount for the entire duration of the gauntlet" The farmer informed me "Come on, pay up"

I fished out my pouch of gold out of my orb bag and gave a handful of gold Askrian coins to the farmer and he handed me a grey plastic card and key in return, with a floor and stable stall number written in black.

"Whenever your hero needs their mount, show me your card and key and I'll let you in" The farmer explained as he pressed the two items in my hands "If you happen to lose the card or key, you'll have to pay a 2000 gold fee for our smiths to replicate the stuff. So take good care of them"

"Got it. Thank you" I nodded and headed into the stables alongside Catria, who led her pegasus through the tall and wide doors. The floor of the stables was made of dusty and dirty wood while the stalls had hay ground and bales like traditional farms. Two clerics, one armed with a Warp staff while the other had a Hammerne, transported the rider and their mount to the upper floors while a ladder was nearby to get the rider back down. I checked the card and saw that our stall was number 76 on the fourth floor.

"How many floors are in this place…?" I looked up the ceiling and saw an uncountable amount of floors to the point I swore the top floor was above the clouds. Catria looked similarly shocked.

"I'd say that's a bit overkill, but considering how many summoners are participating in this event, it's good planning to have this much stable space" Catria noted "But by Naga, what is this place's budget…?"

"The hotel we're staying in is similarly built. Each floor is built to house roughly 100 rooms and there are 20 floors" I said as we approached the two service clerics "Whoever built this place either has a mountain-ton of money or is simply a creation god"

"It's hard to believe either scenario honestly…" Catria muttered as the Warp cleric raised her staff and warped up to the fourth floor "Say the first scenario was true. Who would invest this much money into an event like this? Is he even making a reasonable profit out of it?"

"Who knows? The stable, hotel and buffet prices are fairly low, so I think he just gets his profit out of the sheer amount of summoners participating" I counted the stall numbers nearby until we got to 76. I used the key to unlock the stall door and gestured to Catria to let her pegasus in.

"I'll be back soon. I promise" Catria told her pegasus and it nickered in response, nuzzling the Whitewing's face. Catria smiled and patted it's head before goading it into the stall and closing the door behind it. I locked the door and stored the key and card into my orb bag before leaving the stables.

"On your flights and patrols around Askr, have you spotted any wild wyverns flying around?" I asked Catria as we walked down the street leading towards the hotel and general store "Since pegasi can't blood bond with a male rider, I just wanted to see if I could learn how to ride a wyvern"

"First of all, if you want to learn how to ride a wyvern, you'll need to ask Commander Minerva and Cherche for that. I wouldn't mind teaching you the basics of flying however" Catria replied "And no, I sadly didn't spot any wyverns around Askr. I DID spot a lot of pegasi, so maybe wyverns flock around Embla?"

"I didn't spot any wyvern riders in Embla's army besides their summoned heroes like Minerva and Camilla" I frowned "And even if wyverns populated Embla, it's enemy territory. It would be hard to get in there to capture a dragon before I get peppered with arrows"

"Oh… that's a shame" Catria slumped "If you were to find a wyvern to blood bond with though, what weapon would you try first?"

"I was thinking of lances, but it would be hard to direct the team around if I'm in the thick of the fray" I replied, sitting down on a nearby bench to rest "I'm not entirely sure yet if I have the ability to wield magic, so I might try bows"

"A flying archer… you do know that pegasi and wyverns alike hate arrows with an absolute passion. The last person they'll want as a rider is an archer" Catria frowned, sitting down next to me and setting her Killer Lance on her lap "But if you summon anyone who's a flying archer, you could ask them about it"

"I'm sure they're out there. I remember Subaki and Hana talking to Klein and Jeorge about flying archers. Kinshi Knights, they called them" I recalled "Hm. Pegasi in the World of Birthright sure are different. They accept male riders and aren't afraid of archer riders"

"Let's try magic first, assuming you'll actually find a wyvern to bond with" Catria glanced at the voting gauntlet arena "Shouldn't we go register for the gauntlet? That's what we came for after all"

"Oh right. Guess that shows how little I actually care for this" I laughed "Come on. Let's get your pegasus from the stables and grind some battle flags from the training tower"

A day later, I was staring at the gauntlet arena from atop the balcony while Catria slept blissfully behind me, clearly fatigued from the near-constantly fighting in the arena. Priscilla vs Clarine was uneventful to say the most, with both teams one-upping each other by a couple ten thousand points every once in a while. None of us held a giant advantage like Camilla and Lucina did over Minerva and Ephraim in past gauntlets. I sighed, not feeling very sleepy. I decided to go take a walk to get some fresh air.

"I'll be back. Just need to walk a little" I whispered to Catria and she murmured in her sleep listlessly, turning over on the mattress. I smiled and left the room, letting the Warp cleric nearby warp me to the first floor. I walked the regal and expensive-looking road for a while, watching the maids nearby constantly keep it clean while the warm summer wind brushed past me. I wasn't looking where I was going and ended up bumping into Saria along the way.

"Oh! Sorry about that Saria" I apologized "I wasn't looking where I was going"

"It's okay. What are you doing up so late?" Saria asked. I noticed a sketch pad and a case of pencil crayons under her arm.

"Couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a walk to get some fresh air. You?"

"Same reason. Although, I'm trying to find a good place to sit down and draw for a little" Saria pursed her lips "You wouldn't mind sitting with me for a little, would you? I mean, it's not you like you have something to do either"

"Yeah, I'm fine with it. Maybe I'll get tired talking with you, so I can fall asleep" I joked and Saria giggled "There should be an empty bench around the quest fountain. Let's go there"

"So how's Elise vs Sakura doing for you?" I asked once we made it to the bench. Shopkeepers and other service workers in the gauntlet were closing up for the day and most of the summoners left to their rooms, leaving me and Saria alone with the soothing gurgle of the quest fountain.

"Not as lopsided as I thought it would be honestly. Elise is ahead at the moment, but Sakura's fairly close behind" Saria replied as she pulled out a pencil and continued an unfinished sketch of a knight on his horse. Even if it was unfinished, I could guess she was drawing Camus.

"Priscilla vs Clarine was pretty boring for the most part. Neither of us have a giant advantage over each other, so everything's up to the last hour" I said, fidgeting with my hands. Both of us were silent after. I suspected both of us could sense the tension between us.

"Saria, I think we should clear something-"

"Lucian, we need to talk about-"

"Oh" I paused, slightly in awe that both of us brought up the topic at the same time "You want to go first?"

"Uhm sure…" Saria looked uneasy "Lucian, I need to ask you something. If you had a crush on two people and you spent much more time with one than the other, who would you pick?"

"Well, that largely depends on who you like more. If you like them both equally, then I'd go for the person you see more often. Gives you more time to get together" I replied easily and Saria nodded, slowly relaxing.

"Okay so… you would be okay if I "abandoned" or "dumped" you for Camus?" Saria blushed "Ah, I'm wording this so wrong. We aren't even a couple"

"No, no, I get your meaning" I smiled lightly "And of course I'm okay with it. I firmly believe that the lady gets the first choice in their relationships. No man should control her life like that"

"You can be such a white knight sometimes" Saria teased "So I'm guessing you're having the same situation between me and Catria?"

"You can say that" I admitted "Frankly, I was afraid we would have some friction because of this "issue", but I didn't expect you to be the same"

"We'll remain friends then. No need for tension between us" Saria smiled as she squeezed my hand "So how are you and Catria going so far?"

"Oh no. You're telling me about you and Camus first" I replied teasingly and Saria sighed, relenting with a smile. We spent the rest of the night talking and teasing each other over our favored heroes, departing once the sun rose since neither of us got any sleep. I got back to our room right as Catria began to stir and crashed on the bed, falling asleep instantly.

"Lucian! Lucian!" Catria's voice echoed in my slumbering head "Lucian, wake up. It's almost noon"

"Ugh… staying up all night talking with Saria wasn't a good idea…" I groaned, forcing myself to rise out of bed. I let Catria comb my hair while I went through the battle flags we had. Since there was no discernable advantage Clarine and Priscilla had over one another, I conserved flags for a little while, but now I just shrugged and decided to blow all of them. We were going to get at least 1000 more battle flags in the next series of quests tomorrow anyways.

After midnight struck, the results of the first battle were in and Priscilla defeated Clarine by 200 million points. Lissa beat Mist, Elise beat Sakura and Lachesis beat Maria. Saria, though saddened by Sakura's defeat, sided with Priscilla against Lissa while Elise fought Lachesis. We eventually found ourselves in the same team of three with a Boey on our side while Team Lissa had a Luke, Effie and Cherche on the opposing end. Cherche was going to be a challenge for us since both Catria and Camus were lance users and Boey doesn't have the strongest magical power if I recalled properly. We're going to need some strategy.

"Camus, bait out Luke and…" Saria turned to the other summoner "Can you direct Boey to help cover Camus in case Cherche gets close?"

"Sure thing. Boey, cover Camus's advance"

"Catria, help out in distracting Cherche. That hammer has to be hard to swing around, so use hit and run tactics to strike and get out of her swinging range" I ordered and the Whitewing nodded. Camus rode ahead first, his Gradivus gleaming with light and Luke charged, his summoner yelling at him to get back to avoid the triangle disadvantage. Luke, being the reckless cavalier he was, ignored his summoner's orders and swung his Brave Sword in two quick and heavy strikes at Camus, the red aura of Fire Boost burning under Luke's legs. Camus deflected the strikes with minimal effort and struck back just as quickly, taking out Luke with a stab to the chest. As the blood red line of Fury shot through Camus, Cherche came in fast with her hammer over her head.

"Out of the way!" Boey fired a sea of green spiritual birds with Gronnowl, disrupting Cherche long enough for Catria and Camus to double team her into oblivion. The enemy Effie thrust her Silver Lance towards Camus, but the Grustian cavalier dodged and Saria called him to fall back and launch attacks from a distance. I ordered Catria to take to the sky and launch hit and run attacks while while Boey went ahead to face-tank Effie. Surprisingly, the green mage was exceptionally stocky for a mage and he took hit after hit like a wall of iron, backing up to cast Gronnowl and dodge whenever he could. With Camus's ranged support and Catria's ambush attack from above, Effie fell and the battle was over. I threw in 200 battle flags before leaving the arena.

Again, the battle between Priscilla and Lissa was as uneventful as Priscilla vs Clarine. Neither side held a giant advantage, so it was just fight after fight every half an hour for the points. After a while, even Catria groaned whenever I told her it was time to go into the arena again.

"I hate it too, but it's for the feathers. More Hero Feathers means more five star heroes and that'll really bolster our army's strength against Embla" I said as we walked the path back to the arena "That said, I really wish they lowered the days in the gauntlet to three or something. Six is too long"

"Agreed. I'm already starting to miss Commander Minerva and my sisters" Catria slumped "That and some of the other heroes I met in Askr like Cordelia and Cherche. Something about them seems strangely futuristic, don't they?"

"Well, they came from the World of Awakening, which is your world in the future" I caught Catria's look of surprise "Oh right, I forgot you aren't the Robin twins or Katarina. You don't read a lot"

"Yeah, it was never in me personally. Whenever I have free time, I get my lance and mount my steed to train" The Whitewing scratched her pegasus's chin "I'm not as talented as Palla or Est, so I have to make up for it in effort"

"Ah, the famous "middle child syndrome" I've heard about before" I smiled "Catria, you're plenty strong enough and one of our best fliers thus far. I don't want you thinking yourself as inferior simply because of your sister's talent"

"Of course. But I use Palla and Est's abilities as a goal for me to reach. It spurs me onwards to become stronger"

"Right. Keep that aspect about you. I was just worried that you were having some self-esteem issues like Minerva did"

Catria grit her teeth "I've been sensing some downtrodden behavior from the commander ever since King Michalis showed up. She's constantly trying to reach the king's level of power, you know"

"I can tell. Although I hope she's aware I consider her the stronger wyvern rider between the two. She's faster than Michalis and Hauteclere's ability to activate special attacks quickly patches up Minerva's lower striking power compared to Michalis" I stopped in front of the arena entrance "Oh jolly, we're here. Guess we'll resume the conversation later"

"A shame, but that's what we gotta do" Catria sighed and we entered the arena.

Priscilla vs Lissa ended with Priscilla's victory by 100 million points, while Elise demolished Lachesis by a whole billion points. The final match was up and I was ever so glad it was almost over.

"Well, looks like Elise won this one. Anything from the World of Fates or Awakening wins the voting gauntlet" I noted dryly as me, Saria and our respective heroes watched the arena scoreboard from the buffet's front patio "If they really want to interest me in the gauntlet, make all the contestants be from anywhere not the World of Fates or Awakening"

"Well, it isn't really their fault for being so popular. After all, Awakening and Fates sold incredibly well in the real world and they are what introduced so many people to the world of Fire Emblem" Saria replied, with Camus and Catria listening to the conversation with clear confusion "And these FatesAwakening fans were chosen as summoners for Askr and now, here we are"

"Still, considering Awakening and Fates's large and apparent flaws, I'd say the older Fire Emblem games are better" I regarded Catria and Camus with sympathy "Why don't you two go take a walk for a while? It's clear both of you don't have any idea what we're talking about"

"I was waiting for that" Catria smiled while Camus mouthed 'thank you' before both of them left, leaving me and Saria alone.

"Anyways, I haven't played Awakening or Fates myself, so I probably have no right to judge if it's good or not" I absently traced my finger on the table "I heard both of their stories are notoriously poor though"

"They are, though it's intriguing to think that these heroes believe the events of their world is real life while us summoners know that it's a video game. This is probably how the gods see things, don't they?"

"Maybe so. It wouldn't be a good thing to tell this to our heroes though. It'll probably throw their entire existence into chaos"

"There is no better example than "My entire life was a lie" than this" Saria joked and I laughed, glancing over at the arena for any changes in the score.

"I think half an hour has passed. Let's find our heroes and get back in there" I said as I sat up from my chair. Saria nodded and we left the buffet in search of Catria and Camus.

"Finally this is over. I'll never not be tired of this" I sighed with relief when midnight struck and the points between Elise and Priscilla were being calculated. Everyone participating in the gauntlet was up and about, waiting for the results to be in. As I expected, Elise beat Priscilla by 500 million points, with a significant portion of the crowd cheering in celebration. I was just waiting for the staff's announcement that the dimension tunnels were open to bring us back to Askr.

"Whenever you want something to happen, waiting for it takes twice as long I swear" I said and Catria nodded in agreement, weary from the entire gauntlet. After the cheering of Team Elise died down, an announcement echoed all over the town via wind magic, announcing that the tunnels were open to take us back to Askr and our Hero Feather reward would be sent to our mailboxes the next morning. After saying goodbye and good luck to Saria and Camus, me and Catria took off and went home. At last, this god-forsaken gauntlet was over.

An Archer's First Step: Lucian, Jeorge, Klein and Gordin's Conversation

A day after the gauntlet ended, I found Jeorge, Klein and Gordin at the castle's archery range as usual.

"Good morning Lucian. What are you here for?" Jeorge greeted me as I picked up an Iron Bow lying on the wall, picking at the bowstring "Here to practice archery, I assume?"

"Yeah, I've been thinking of learning how to use a bow to be more effective on the battlefield aside from barking orders" I replied "So you three wouldn't mind tutoring me, right?"

"Of course. We've already been teaching Gordin here for a while, so an extra student wouldn't hurt" Klein gestured to a metal cylinder filled with arrows next to him "Go ahead and take some shots. We'll correct your stance, posture and aim whenever we see something wrong"

"Suit up with these first" Jeorge tossed me a left hand archery glove and a forearm guard "They'll stop the bowstring from slapping your arm red and keep your fingers from going raw. Both are practically required for prolonged shooting"

"Good to know" After I strapped on the equipment, I took my spot next to the chalk line, indicating the range I was allowed to fire from. I noticed the others taking a sideways stance depending on what hand held their bow, so I emulated it, turning my back to Gordin and holding my bow in my left hand as I drew the arrow and bowstring back.

"Keep your elbow up" Klein advised "Up to your ear at least"

We fired our shots together and while Klein and Jeorge's perfectly landed on the bullseye, Gordin and mine especially landed wildly off course, striking the white "dead zone" outside of the circle.

"Both eyes open Lucian. Contrary to popular belief, shooting a bow with one eye closed lowers your overall view of the target and makes you misinterpret where you're aiming at" Jeorge corrected my stance and posture as I lined up another shot. I started gaining a new appreciation for archers. Pulling back a bow was really hard on my back.

"Actually Jeorge, you can shoot with one eye closed as long as your dominant eye is the one that's aiming" Klein said "Of course, that only applies to casual shooting like this. In combat, keep both eyes open at all times to make use of your peripheral vision"

"Right. Being an archer is a dangerous profession on the battlefield. You have to be constantly aware of your surroundings at all times so you won't be snuck up on when you're nocking another arrow" Jeorge watched my arrow fly to the target with a dry look "Shoddy. Aim a little above the target if you want to strike the bullseye. Your arrow falls as it flies through the air, so where you aim isn't exactly where the arrow goes"

I shot a couple more arrows until I ran out and Klein called an arrow collection. As I walked to collect my arrows, I stared at the sky with Jeorge beside me.

"Hey Jeorge. Do you think it'll be possible to fire a bow while atop a mount like a pegasus or wyvern?" I asked and Jeorge crossed his arms, deep in thought.

"... It's possible. But the archer in question will have to have keen and absolute precision in their shots while flying. The constant moving of the mount will disrupt their aim" The blond archer tugged on his leather gloves "The same goes for archers on cavalry. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I flew to the voting gauntlet arena with Catria a week ago and it really opened my eyes to the sheer amazement of flying" I replied as we walked back to the chalk line "Because pegasi don't accept men as riders, I want to try capturing a wyvern"

"And? What's wrong with using a sword, lance or axe?"

"It would be hard to command the team if I'm deep in the fray with a physical weapon. Either I delegate my tactician role to the Robin twins or Katarina or I pick up a ranged weapon and still be able to command from the backlines while fighting. I chose the latter"

"What about magic? Didn't you fight a mage on a wyvern back during the Spring Festival?" Gordin asked while Klein corrected his form.

"I was thinking about it, but I'm not one hundred percent sure I have the aptitude to use magic" I replied "Maybe I could ask the Robin twins or Katarina to teach me magic, but I want to try archery first"

"Can't blame you. Magic is hard on the body and mind for newcomers. Magic requires years of practice to not completely fall over after a few spells" Klein said and Jeorge nodded in agreement.

"Magic takes a long time to grow and develop within a person's body apparently. It's a source of incredible power made through years of long, hard work" The blond archer said "Much less effort to try and learn archery"

"And that's why I wanted to learn it first" I nocked my arrow into my bow "But I'll try my hand at magic too before I decide what to use. Shall we continue?"

"Yes, of course. Fire when ready"

 **So because Voting Gauntlets are as boring as they are, I'm using this chapter to develop Catria and Lucian's relationship while resolving the "love triangle" issues between Saria and Lucian. Also hinting at Lucian's debut onto the battlefield with his archery practice. Coming up next** **is the Ylissean Summer paralogue, so if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to leave constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time, fellow summoners!**


	35. Grand Hero Battle: Legion

A Summoner's Journey

Grand Hero Battle: Legion

 _Team for this chapter: Katarina, Klein, Camus and Priscilla_

"Hmm… this might be the most challenging Grand Hero Battle yet" Robin observed. A few days after I received the Echoes of Mystery summoning banner, two Grand Hero Battle cards flew in for Legion and Clarisse. We decided to tackle Legion first "The enemy team has you immediately surrounded if you take advantage of the defensive tiles in the middle and the postcard warns us of reinforcements appearing from all sides"

"What's with the multiple Legion clones?" Robinne pointed to the two Legions on opposite sides of the battlefield "The card notes that two more Legions will spawn on the top and bottom of the map after certain enemies are slain"

"Legion is a… odd and tragic tale. He was originally one person, but Lady Eremiya twisted dozens of young boys to his command and they became his clones in appearance, speech pattern and lethality as a fighter" Katarina explained "Now it's almost impossible to determine who the real Legion is. They're like a hive mind"

"That's… horrifying" Robinne put her hand on Katarina's shoulder "I'm sorry you had to grow up under those conditions"

"It wasn't all bad. Me and the original Legion were close friends and my sister Clarisse, cold as she may be, is still good at heart" Katarina smiled at Robinne's gesture "But nevertheless, let's get back to the battle against Legion. The postcard doesn't specifically say which enemies trigger the Legion reinforcements upon their deaths, so we can't capitalize on that to control enemy density"

"I suggest we take advantage of the defensive tiles in the center to bear the brunt of the attack and force them to go through the southern opening" Robin pointed to the only clear entrance to the defensive tiles, where our portal was presumed to open "While the enemy Legion struggle to reach us through the south entrance, we can focus on the mages and archer bombarding us from the other side"

"One small problem Robin" Jeorge tapped the three walls separating the defensive tiles from the enemy team "These three walls look breakable from this visual. If we take shelter on the tiles, we're in danger of being surrounded on all sides if they break down the walls"

"Good point… maybe we can try to stay on the move and flank around the enemy using the outer edges of the field" Robinne traced her finger from our assumed starting position to the perimeter of the map, starting on the left side where a Legion clone and red mage awaited us "It'll let avoid any reinforcements coming from the south and right sides while keeping engagements with the northern enemies to a minimum"

"The narrow halls will make ally switching a problem if we need someone specific to handle an enemy, but it'll also let us deal with one foe at a time" Jeorge scratched his chin "We can also send someone with Axebreaker to the center to snipe the Legions from behind cover while the others handle the mages. This person should preferably be a fire mage to capitalize on the weapon triangle"

"And should reinforcements arrive from the south to threaten our Axebreaker mage, the units on the flank can break down the walls to get them out of there" Robinne nodded in agreement "I think that's the best plan of action. It'll let us keep the control of battle and strike the enemy from unexpected angles. We'll use their terrain against them"

"Alright then. Let's decide who we're taking" I crossed my arms in thought "Ideally, I'd like the fire mage to be Celica, but we're going to need a healer to keep her Ragnarok effect up, so I want more consistent performance"

I looked at Katarina "Are you up for it Katarina? I know that Rauðrblade+ tome has been doing wonders for you"

Katarina snapped her fingers, sparking a flame that created her tome out of thin air. She studied the image of two crossed golden swords over a crimson cover thoughtfully.

"If you'll find me useful, I'll be happy to help out. I know for a fact that fighting and defeating Legion is the only way to get him on our side, so kicking around my old friend wouldn't be too painful" The tactician nodded, then frowned "However, I'm going to need some support from the team via Hones or Fortify skills to power up the Rauðrblade+. Otherwise, it's just as effective as my weaker Rauðrowl+ tome"

"I was thinking of bringing Klein along to readily snipe the mages with ease, so I could grab a spare Olivia or Eirika to give him Hone Attack or Hone Speed respectively" I said and Katarina smiled in agreement "So Hone Attack or Hone Speed?"

"Hone Speed. Legion himself has always shown exceptional speed among the assassin group, tying with Clarisse in a footrace. I'm going to need the extra horsepower to catch him if he darts away to dodge" Katarina pursed her lips "Though Axebreaker means a single strike will render him useless aside from punching us, but the less people crowding the hallway, the better"

"Alright, so we have Katarina as the Legion killer and Klein as the mage slayer" I stared at the enlarged map layout for a second "I was considering bringing Camus and Priscilla along to assist Klein, but should a Legion escape from Katarina's attacks, Camus can find himself at a large disadvantage"

"But if we swap Camus out for Xander, we'll have two reds and two colourless units. We'll be toast if we go up against a lancer or thunder mage Klein alone can't defeat" Robinne pointed out "If only we had a axe cavalier with an innate Distant Counter weapon. It'll let us keep the mobility and versatility Xander and Camus had, but with better triangle control"

"With Axebreaker and a Hone Speed boost, Katarina should be accurate enough to strike the Legions and break their axes" Robin reasoned "I say we give it a go. Katarina will move to the center to take down the Legions while Camus, Klein and Priscilla will go down the right hallway to bring down the thunder mage knight that'll trouble her"

"And those three will ride towards the archer in the back before he can trouble Katarina while she handles the fire mage" Robinne continued "And they'll handle reinforcements as they come. Katarina should stay in the center to take advantage of the unbroken walls and defensive tiles"

"Alright then. So let's assemble the team and get going" I nodded to Jeorge "Go find Camus, Priscilla and Klein at the five star suite above the barracks and tell them to meet me at the portal courtyard. Katarina, you're coming with me"

"Right. See you when I get back Robin!" Katarina waved Robin goodbye and Robinne laughed at her brother's blush. I led the tactician down to the storage room to her surprise, intent on finding an Eliwood skill manual for Axebreaker.

"Someone should really organize these. It's a mess here…" I muttered as I dug through bags full of promotional badges and Universal Crystals and Shards. The storage was semi-organized, though not to a good degree. Several sacks were labelled with what they were supposed to hold, but a few were overflowing such as the Hero Feather sack and others had items from other bags thrown in like two orbs inside the Light's Blessing container. The skill manuals were stacked on a dusty table in the corner and I considering moving them to the library. Each manual was green with the hero's name on it, along with their rarity. It indicated what skills a hero could gain by reading the manual.

"Is it this one?" Katarina picked up a manual off the ground, blowing dust off of it. I checked and the cover said "Eliwood" with "Four Stars" written in black. I nodded.

"Yep, this is it. Go to the section about Axebreaker and practice the technique on training dummies in the training yard. I'll go check if Camus, Priscilla and Klein are ready in the lobby" I found an Eirika skill manual for Klein after Katarina left and headed back to the lobby. I found the three already assembled and handed the manual to Klein, telling him to learn Hone Speed while we were waiting for Katarina to finish. I explained our strategy to the three until Katarina showed up beside me, announcing that she has learned Axebreaker. The disappearance of the Eirika skill manual confirmed that Klein learned Hone Speed, so we went to the World of Mystery portal, Legion card in hand and leaped inside.

We landed in a small abandoned fortress, with the nighttime desert behind us. Just like the card shown, there were four defensive tiles plus three breakable walls in the center. Presumingly, enemies hid behind those walls to await our advance.

"We are Legion…" One Legion began and another Legion interrupted him. "

"Hey, we're Legion too!"

"All of uses are one, and one is all of uses"

"Hey, all of uses... It's time to fight, fight, fight!" A fourth Legion voice rallied and the enemy stirred to life, readying their weapons. I nodded to my heroes and they proceeded just like we planned. Katarina immediately seized the center defensive tiles and opened her Rauroblade tome, which was empowered by Klein's Hone Speed. The tactician chanted her spell and thrust her hand to the right, where a rainstorm of crimson swords fell from the air and bombarded the right side with furious fire magic. I heard one Legion cry out in agony as his axe broke while the thunder mage knight grunted in pain, but didn't sound too fazed. Katarina threw down her second shot and nailed the first Legion while Camus, Klein and Priscilla moved in to silence the mage knight. I followed behind them to keep myself safe.

"Charge!" Camus disrupted the mage knight's Thoron with a lance through the stomach, then send his head flying off his neck with a follow up attack. Camus kicked the mage knight's fading body out of the way with his horse just as the archer came behind the corner and fired his Brave Bow+. The two arrows were tinged with red light, indicating Death Blow and one of them was wrapped in blue and yellow light too, confirming Moonbow. Camus raised his shield to block, but the arrows cut deep into the metal, making sizeable dents. One even made it past and struck Camus's gut. Klein returned fire at the archer with his own Brave Bow, distracting him long enough for Camus to finish him while Priscilla healed him up.

"Lance cavalier and thunder mage coming in from the south and north respectively!" Katarina called as she shot down another inferno of fiery blades, incinerating the fire mage to dust while destroying the second Legion's weapon and his Aegis. Having no way of breaking down the wall, the second Legion ran around to hopefully punch Katarina, but the tactician expelled a short, but powerful plume of fire through her hand, which lanced through Legion's heart and burned it to a crisp. With the second Legion dead, a sword cavalier appeared from the south.

"Sword cavalier coming from the south! I'm going to have to retreat!" Katarina called and Priscilla's Pain staff resonated, breaking down the right wall in a single cast, letting Katarina escape the dual cavalier's wrath. Behind the cover of the second unbroken wall, Klein and Katarina rained destruction on the cavaliers with a mix of fire magic and arrows, taking the two down swiftly. Camus dueled with the lance cavalier, Gradivus to Heavy Spear while Priscilla healed Camus's wounds. The Grustian paladin managed to get under the enemy cavalier's guard and stab him several times before piercing his neck with Bonfire.

"Another thunder mage knight from the north!" Camus reported before charging to meet him in combat. The mage knight was surprised and tried to back up to cast Blarraven+, but Camus stabbed him once before missing his follow up attack. The mage knight began summoning a cloud of ravens, but Camus threw his Gradivus and impaled the mage knight in the shoulder, taking him down. The ravens still reached Camus and did a sizeable amount of damage, which Priscilla immediately healed later.

"Two Legions from the north!" Camus reported as he and Priscilla retreated.

"Two Legions from the south too!" Klein called as he fired two crimson-tinged arrows at the charging Legion, only for them to blocked by their axe.

"Get back into the center and use the defensive tiles. Both of them are coming down the right hall, so Camus, take the front while Katarina, me, Klein and Priscilla stay behind!" I commanded and my units jumped into the tiles just as the Legions reached us. Before they could turn and engage Camus, Klein and Katarina bombarded the narrow area with both arrows and magic, turning it into a Legion bloodbath. The last Legions's barely made it to Camus's shield before he was down from Rauorblade's blast radius. With the last Legion fading, the battle was won.

"Whuh? Whoses are youses? We are Legion...and we are Legion too. Uwe hee hee!" Legion said after the battle. I honestly had no idea how to figure out his speech pattern, so I left Katarina to talk with him while we headed back to Askr. Now it was time to strategize for Clarisse's Grand Hero Battle.

 **Assassins Twisted at Birth:** Katarina and Legion's Conversation

"Ooh! It's youses Reese! Good to see yous!" Legion looked around himself in confusion once we came back to the portal courtyard "Where are my brotherses?"

"So that means you're the head of the Legions" Katarina nodded "Okay Roro, I'm going to explain everything to you. Follow me to the castle gardens, where we can be alone"

"I don't think it would be easy to get him into Alfonse's class about Askr. Just explain the basic and necessary things to him" I said and Legion stared at me with a slightly irritated look, though it was hard to tell behind his mask.

"I'm not dumbses, summoner. I just don't like the think a lot" Legion shrugged "Just give me the order to killses and I'll do it. Very simple, you see?"

"Well, if you'll follow orders to the letter, then I have no problems" I shrugged "Now if you excuse me, I gotta strategize for Clarisse's battle. You can join us later after you're done talking to Legion, Katarina"

"Will do. Follow me Legion" Katarina gestured with her hand to follow and Legion trailed behind her towards the gardens.

"So what are you doing here Reese?" Legion asked "Eremiya told me to go bring my brotherses and kill that guy with armorses. Horace, I think"

"I was summoned here shortly after my defeat in the World of Mystery" Katarina replied "So I guess I should start with the explanations now. Legion, this is Askr. We here are known as "heroes", units that fight in Askr's army to combat the opposing Emblian Empire"

"So we're not assassinses anymore? Just regular soldiers?"

"Yes we are. Whenever we're called upon to fulfill a task or go out to fight, Lucian, Prince Alfonse, Princess Sharena or Commander Anna will come get us" Katarina paused "On second thought, I think that's all I need to tell you. We are soldiers of an army and the commanders will find us whenever they need us to fight. If they don't, we'll help out the army or train ourselves"

"Sounds goodses. So where do I go sleep? Rooms here are better than in the church, yeses?" Legion asked, checking every nook and cranny around the castle hallway like he was curious child.

"Visit Commander Anna's office for her to assign you a room in the barracks. If Lucian decides to promote you, you'll be moved to the five star suite above the barracks, which is much more luxurious and comfy naturally"

"Good to knowses. Where do I find this Anna's office?"

"I'll lead you there. I might need to talk to her for you to help your… odd manner of speaking"

"Hey! It's not my faultses!"

…

Shortly before we headed back to the World of Mystery for the Clarisse Grand Hero Battle, I took Legion along with Olivia, Priscilla and Serra to the training tower. Despite his odd behavior and speech, Legion was an extremely competent fighter in his own right. His strikes with his Legion's Axe came fast and strong, easily crushing most enemies in his way easily. His speed allowed him to evade attacks reliably too, though his defenses are thin and should an accurate enemy strike him with an arrow or sword, Legion would fall quickly. Compounding this weakness is his reckless nature and use of the Fury skill, making him easier to kill over the course of a battle. His heavy pain tolerance does remedy this however, letting Legion blow through enemy attacks unexpectedly and strike them down. All in all, a solid offensive axe fighter for our army, which was good considering Anna and Minerva were the only other fast axe users here.

"Alright, he's been training for a good two hours and a half. Legion, back to the castle! Priscilla and Serra, heal him!" I ordered and surprisingly, Legion followed my order exactly. He even left some retreating enemies get away, which was not something I expected from him. He may be hard to talk to, but I suspected a broken jolly spirit within. It really was sad how Eremiya broke so many potentially great or influential people in the World of Mystery and I feared Clarisse may be another one of the many.

 **And that was Legion's Grand Hero Battle, the hardest GHB of it's debut time with the infamous Infernal difficulty. Naturally such a hard Grand Hero Battle requires a lot of strategy, which is why this story's version looks a little less ragequit-worthy than the actual map. But hey, a sound strategy can beat any Heroes map, especially if you got four tacticians by your side. Legion himself is a fine unit, with solid HP, Attack and Speed. Both of his defensive stats are low, but a refined weapon can bring his HP to the point of being able to sponge one attack to go down into Desperation range, so it isn't all that bad. But because of his GHB status, Raven easily outclasses Legion due to his refined Basilikos, access to IVs and merges. Still, a good F2P glass cannon. Coming up next is the Clarisse Grand Hero Battle and then the Ylissean Summer paralogue (It's hard tracking GHBs now that their banners are gone) If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to leave constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time, fellow summoners!**


	36. Grand Hero Battle: Clarisse

A Summoner's Journey

Grand Hero Battle: Clarisse

 _Team for this chapter: Robin, Katarina, Xander and Priscilla_

A day after Legion's Grand Hero Battle, me and our usual group of strategists gathered to prepare for Clarisse's Grand Hero Battle. Looking at the map, I knew Robin was going to be a good candidate, seeing as he countered three out of the five enemy units on the map. Clarisse herself, a thief and a sword cavalier. I didn't want Clarisse's arrows to trouble the rest of my team however, so I sent Robin to go grab a Setsuna combat manual from the library to learn Bowbreaker. Alfonse and Robinne recently organized the manuals and placed them in the library, in alphabetical order, so it wasn't as messy as it was in the storage room. Unfortunately, the heroes had to write the manual themselves for a skill, so certain manuals weren't exactly fully clear.

"Uhh… Setsuna really has no idea how she snaps bowstrings with her arrows. She just claims to aim normally at the target and then their bows explode" Robin said, tracing his finger on the white pages of the manual "And she also wrote that she fell into a trap before she could finish the manual, which is why there's a bit of smudge"

"Hmm… I wonder…" I pulled Hinata's Fury manual off the nearby shelf and opened it up. On the first page, all it said was 'Just get angry' "That's it? I just have to get really angry and then I become the Hulk?"

"Who?"

"Just a… fictional character from my world. Don't worry about it" I closed the manual and put it back in the shelf. So much paper wasted for one sentence. I was curious on what Odin and Palla had to say about Moonbow though.

"Get a load of this" Robinne opened Odin's manual on Moonbow "With your weapon in hand, call upon your inner strength and power, summoning the celestial moon of radiance to burn away your opponent's mighty defenses! Let loose a soulful roar from your soul as you use your divine weapon to smite your foes into oblivion, just like their defenses!"

"And Palla just says "When the right opportunity comes, streak your sword with the power of the moon to melt down your foe's defenses. I'm not exactly sure when you can trigger it, but you'll know when it'll happen. Good luck!"" Jeorge closed Palla's entry on Moonbow and put it back on the shelf. I thought I was coming here with Robin alone to have him learn Bowbreaker, but I guess everyone was curious about the skill manual entries now.

"I wonder what people have to say about positional skills like Draw Back and Reposition" Katarina wondered out loud as she pulled Mae's Draw Back manual from the bottom shelf "Just grab their shoulder and pull them back with you. I don't know why I need to explain this"

"Yeah… some skills are more easily explained than others" Robin clutched the Bowbreaker manual in his hand tightly and closed his eyes, letting a warm yellow light radiate from the pages and into his body "But it's not the words of the manual that are important. It's the magic written onto the pages that imparts the skill. If the hero describes the skill accurately enough, the magic will work"

"Looks like it was successful" Robinne watched the Bowbreaker manual dissolve into particles of light "So anyways, we can all laugh at the other's skill entries later, but we have a battle to strategize for. Let's get back to the war room"

We went back to the war room, where Clarisse's battlefield was enlarged for us to view. Clarisse's team was protected by a set of breakable and unbreakable walls, with defense tiles in behind them. The only way in was through a narrow passage on the right, which was within range of a thunder mage, a wind mage knight and Clarisse herself. It was a better idea to strike through the breakable walls to avoid being dogpiled.

"An obvious tactic would be to place Robin here outside of the wind mage's firing range to lure out Clarisse, the thief and sword cavalier…" Robinne tapped the magical hologram "But that would place Clarisse and the thief on defensive tiles, making it harder for Robin to take them down before the wind mage catches up"

"Thieves are notoriously resistant to magic, so it's impossible for Robin to kill him quick enough" Jeorge added "I suggest using someone bulky with the ability to counter ranged attackers for this role. Like Xander and Camus"

"Why not both? Every enemy on the field is ranged except for the sword cavalier in front of Clarisse" I said "As long as we bring Priscilla to top them off, they can theoretically handle the entire enemy team from the safety of the walls"

"Their bulk isn't going to last long if the enemy can strike their vital weak points" Katarina pointed out "Clarisse specializes in leaving her victims blindsided before striking them from all angles. That means she and her team is very smoke-heavy with their tactics. They want us blinded before rushing in to strike"

"I could attempt to break her bow before she can land a shot on us" Robin offered "And Xander or Camus can handle the thief while someone magically bulky like say… Katarina or Celica can deal with the mages"

"That can work, especially if we can seize the defensive tiles in the center quick enough. That'll sponge the thunder mage's hits for us" Katarina nodded "Okay, here's the battle plan. Robin will lure out Clarisse and the thief, snap Clarisse's bow and potentially kill her while weakening the thief. Robin will retreat while Xander or Camus mop them up and the wind mage knight.

"The sword cavalier will break down the wall or rush down the right, where Katarina or Celica will roast him before moving to the center" Robinne continued "And using the defensive tiles, they'll take down the blue mage. That's all?"

"Alright then. Let's choose who's joining us then. We only have enough for four" I crossed my arms "Robin is a given. I believe Xander will be better for finishing off the thief and the wind mage knight. Katarina, you can come if you don't mind and the last member can be Priscilla for healing support"

"I'd be happy to come. Is there any skills I need to replace? I still have Axebreaker for when we fought Legion" Katarina informed me.

"Hmm… do we happen to have any Desperation manuals in the library? If so, learn that" I told Katarina "I'll round up everyone in the portal courtyard while you do it"

"On it" The tactician nodded and ran off to the library while our group dispersed. Robin accompanied me to the barracks.

"It can't be just you who's starting to feel a little bored with this" Robin yawned, scratching his head "Don't get me wrong. Battle isn't something to have fun with, but if you're practically immortal and your true calling is being a battlefield tactician, your itch to fight starts to really act up"

"I get what you mean. For once, I want a challenge where we don't plan it out so precisely that we win with minimal effort. It doesn't make commanding a squad of legendary heroes really fun" I bit my tongue "I shouldn't be saying this. People are dying in these battles. Fighting is not for fun"

"It could be in this world" Robin shrugged "I mean, every enemy we fight in these Grand Hero Battles dissolve into a cloud of Hero Feathers. So are they really dying?"

"I suppose not? If any of you heroes die, you dissolve into Hero Feathers and return to the castle lobby. Maybe the same applies to the enemies we're fighting"

"That would mean they return to their original summoner's castle" Robin theorized "Therefore they return to Castle Embla when they die. So no shame in killing them, right?"

"I guess, but that means the war between Askr and Embla will never end. Both sides have undying soldiers" I replied "The best way to end this war is either with a peace treaty negotiation or we take down the commander who isn't immortal, which is Princess Veronica"

"The former choice is definitely the best one" Robin nodded, then turned beside him "Anyways, here's the staircase to the suites. Xander and Priscilla should be up here"

"Oh, hello Lucian and Robin!" Nino waved at us as she walked down the hallway with Lloyd "Are you two looking for Xander and Priscilla?"

"Yeah, we are. Do you know if they're up here?" I asked and Lloyd shook his head, pointing behind us.

"Me and Nino spotted them leaving the barracks. I heard Priscilla was going to the band room to play instruments while Xander headed to the training yard" The swordsman said "Not everyone here lounges in their room, you know"

"Should of guessed that. Thanks for telling us" I nodded "Where are you two going?"

"We're heading down to the market to try and fix Lloyd's skin tone. He… still looks like a morph after all these days" Nino gestured to Lloyd's creepily pale skin "It's creeping out most of the people here"

"So we'll be leaving now. See you around" Lloyd clapped me on the back and the duo headed off. We followed them out of the barracks and went to the band room, which was nearby the quest fountain. Among the organized set of instruments used in the orchestra during festivals, Celica, Priscilla, Lachesis and Olivia were playing music. Priscilla was on the flute, Celica on the piano, Lachesis on the cello and Olivia was on the violin. They weren't perfectly coordinated, but it was leagues better than what I could pull off with a bass drum back at home.

"Priscilla! Sorry to interrupt, but we need you for Clarisse's Grand Hero Battle" I called and the troubadour lowered her instrument "You four are going great so far, by the way"

"Thank you Lucian. Sorry everyone, but I have to go" Priscilla got up and brushed off her outfit. She picked up her Panic and Rehabilitate staves that were leaning on Celica's piano "I'll be back once we're finished"

"Good luck and be careful" Celica waved us goodbye and we left the music room to find Xander and Katarina already in the lobby, waiting for us.

"I passed Prince Xander in the hallway after I left the library" Katarina explained "So I brought him here to wait for you. I learned Desperation, by the way"

"What did Shanna's manual say?" I asked curiously.

"She just said to attack really fast when in desperate situations. Not sure how that's different from normally attacking" Katarina shrugged "It should work as intended though. Anyways, we should get Priscilla's horse and get going"

"Right. Priscilla, grab your horse from the stables and meet us in the portal courtyard" I ordered and the troubadour nodded, rushing down to the stables in the back of the barracks. Soon after, she returned herding her horse into the lobby before hopping on and riding down with us straight into the World of Mystery portal. It was funny how we entered this portal thrice in less than two weeks, but it couldn't be helped with the string of events we've been getting. I hoped the next would be elsewhere because I was really getting tired of Archanea. We landed inside of a dim fortress, barely lit by torches.

"Clarisse, an unknown party of four has arrived here via some sort of strange portal. Reese is among them!" The sword cavalier reported, drawing his Killing Edge+ "Should we engage them?"

"So those are the filth that fooled Reese with their pretty words. Fine! We'll take them out" Clarisse ordered "Anyone who joins the enemy is a traitor to Lady Eremiya, so kill Reese as well. Leave none of them alive"

"We should remain inside these walls. It would be disastrous if the enemy breaches this keep with a front line attacker, so we have to nail them behind cover" The thief said "Is that alright Clarisse?"

"Yes, just fine. Now get ready to fight!" Clarisse drew an arrow from her quiver and nocked it into her bow, aiming it over the wall "Strike them from all angles and target their weak spots. The darkness and smoke are ours to wield!"

Clarisse's arrow flew over the wall and Katarina noticed first, alerting Xander to bat it away with Siegfried before it could veil us with smoke. In response, Xander sent a bolt of darkness over the walls which struck Clarisse hard. The thief's Smoke Dagger flew through a slit in one of the cracked walls and Robin smacked it away with his Blarraven+, casting a swarm of ravens to harass the thief over the walls.

"The thunder mage and the wind mage knight are coming in from the right side" Priscilla called and I sent Katarina to deal with them, the tactician easily wiping out the wind mage while sending a line of magic with Attack Ploy to harry the thunder mage.

"Take this one out for me Xander!" Katarina called and the sword cavalier rushed over, beheading the stunned thunder mage with his giant blade. Suddenly, Clarisse's arrow clipped a chink in his arm and completely covered our area with smoke.

"Fall back Xander!" I commanded and the paladin retreated only to be greeted by the sword cavalier swinging his Killing Edge+ in a flurry of swipes and slashes. Xander bore the brunt of the attacks well, but Clarisse's arrow make his defenses sluggish. The paladin was left with dozens of scratches and dents in his armor before eviscerating the cavalier with Bonfire. While Priscilla healed Xander and the smoke began to clear, Robin was still dealing with the thief and Clarisse.

"We're going to be needing your help here Xander. The thief and Clarisse are extremely resistant to magic with the defensive tile" Robin said, dodging a Smoke Dagger and shielding an arrow with his tome "I'll take Clarisse and you'll handle the thief"

"I'll assist you with Attack Ploy" Katarina stood behind Robin and gestured to the ground, sending a small trail of fire to harass Clarisse, making her arrow fire slacky. Meanwhile, Xander took a Smoke Dagger hit like it was nothing and raised his sword to fire a shadow bolt before a gust of green wind blew him backwards slightly, cancelling the attack. The thief's Smoke Dagger activated afterwards and another dagger flew to bounce off Xander's chestplate.

"The thief has Windsweep! I won't be able to counterattack him if he attacks first" Xander warned "Take out Clarisse and we'll break down the wall to strike the thief up close"

"On it!" Robin was outlined in vibrant orange flames before opening his tome "Time to tip the scales!"

A cloud of flaming blue ravens flew into the air, snapping Clarisse's incoming arrow like putty before smashing into the archer, destroying the defensive tile's shield. The blonde archer collapsed on the ground before fading into feathers.

"Break down the wall!" I commanded as Xander blocked an incoming dagger with his sword. The paladin cut down the crumbling stone wall with one swing before galloping to trample the thief. The thief jumped to dodge Xander's first swing, but hit his head against the wall in the process, letting the paladin impale him with his blade. The last of the enemies dissolved into luminous feathers and the battle was over.

"Well, at least the allies Reese joined up with aren't weaklings like those Altean knights" Clarisse crossed her arms "So at least she grew a bit of brains. I'm Clarisse. I'm a cut above the other rubbish you'll see around here"

"Let's hope you can prove your words" I nodded "Come on, let's get back to Askr. Katarina, can you explain to Clarisse the basics? Just like you did with Legion"

"Huh, I was wondering where Roro has gone. Looks like the full party's here" Clarisse relaxed a little "I suppose it won't be too bad coming along"

"Trust me Clarisse. It's much better than being a mindless puppet for Eremiya. Believe me" Katarina took Clarisse's hand and led her back to the swirling portal "Let's go home everyone"

 **Ill Fated Sisters:** Katarina and Clarisse's Conversation

"... And that just about wraps up the tour of the castle. What do you think Clarisse?"

"You know, I'll never tell this to anyone but you and Roro, but I can really get used to this place" Clarisse smiled lightly, something she rarely did "Much better than the dreary dumpster that was the church back home"

"See? I told you you'll like this place" Katarina grinned, then lowered her voice "Plus, it gives you a chance to be apart of an actual family. You won't be a puppet to be used anymore. You're a respected soldier among all of us as an equal"

"When did you learn to speak so formally and… naively valiant?" Clarisse frowned "Your head was always in the clouds Reese. Nobody respects you and treats you as an equal instantly. You have to earn their respect through your skills as a killer"

"Clarisse, you're a soldier now. Not an assassin, unless Lucian tells us so" Katarina replied "So we'll be fighting with honorable tactics instead of dirty ones. We're not killers anymore, Clarisse"

"Anyone who kills another on the field of battle is a killer" Clarisse countered, then sighed "But whatever. I just have to keep myself focused and consistent with my victories. Failure isn't an option"

"... Lucian won't throw you out if you fail. He's nothing like Eremiya"

"Huh? What kind of leader is that if they can forgive failure so easily?" Clarisse looked genuinely surprised "If you fail, you fail and that shows your incompetence. Leaders of armies want soldiers who always succeed, right?"

"Yes, but there could be cases in battle where things don't go as planned" Katarina bit her lip at the thought of it "And in those cases, it's not your fault. It's ours because we didn't plan for it to happen"

"Ours…?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention. I'm part of Lucian's tactician group. We plan out strategies against battles like yours. We call them Grand Hero Battles" The tactician explained "I strategize alongside Lucian himself, the Robin twins you saw in the lobby and Jeorge of the Archanean snipers"

"I knew something was up. You never spoke this keenly and confident before" Clarisse smiled and patted Katarina on the shoulder "You're doing well for yourself. You were always nervous in front of Lady Eremiya"

"She… unnerved me because of how harsh she was sometimes. It was like she could explode in anger any second" Katarina admitted "Here, everyone's so kind and friendly. It's heartwarming"

"If Askr is everything that you say, then I wouldn't even want to leave" Clarisse gazed outside the nearby window "Wow… the scenery here is…"

"Amazing, isn't it? It's just like the endless fields of grass back in Aurelis" Katarina smiled and took Clarisse's hand "Want to go out and walk in the forest with me? We can talk more along the way"

"I wanted to go to the archery range first to challenge the other archers here first, but alright" Clarisse nodded "Maybe we can find something to hunt in there"

"... We're going there to take a walk, not kill animals Clarisse" Katarina sighed "But if that's what you want to do for fun, then go ahead. Just don't kill too much"

"You were always a little bit too pacifistic Reese" Clarisse shrugged "But oh well. I guess that's alright here"

"Well, it's a good thing I'm here to keep you in check. That's an older sister's job, right?" Katarina smirked and Clarisse frowned, annoyed.

"Why do you keep calling me your younger sister? We don't even know what our birthdays are" Clarisse grumbled "You're not even older than me. We're the same age"

"You don't know that" Katarina giggled and took Clarisse's hand again "But let's not be all dour and grumpy. Be cheerful for once"

"After everything that happened, that's hard to do" The archer admitted "But I'll try…"

"At least you're trying. Come on, we have to get to the forest before the sun sets!"

 **Have an light sister-to-sister bonding scene, which is why Clarisse is significantly less prickly and rude than usual. Clarisse's Grand Hero Battle itself is in the middle with difficulty personally. The gimmick with Clarisse's squad being debuff heavy is a nice touch to her assassin profession and the battle itself isn't hair-pulling in difficulty. Clarisse as a unit is unfortunately cursed with bad art like Lloyd in my opinion and she's outclassed in all stats by Fallen Takumi now, making her pretty worthless. Still, I like her personality and backstory, so I might build her myself in the future. The combat manual scene at the beginning is inspired by the latest Feh Manga chapter. Coming up next is the Ylissean Summer paralogue (finally, something exciting for once) If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to leave constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time, fellow summoners!**


	37. Paralogue 8: Ylissean Summer

A Summoner's Journey

Paralogue 8: Ylissean Summer

 _Team for this chapter: Lyn, Robin, Legion and Clarisse_

The month passed to June and with that, summer weather came by. I found myself quickly pulling down my hood and unbuttoning my robe after a few minutes of the summer heat and the others were doing the same. Robin took off his black coat and tied it around his waist while Robinne draped hers over her shoulders like a cloak. Xander, Frederick and most of our armored heroes were taking the summer heat the worst, so I decided to give them the day off to work around the temperature change.

"Ugh. I've never experienced heat like this in my life" Xander grumbled when I came down to the lobby this morning "Back in Nohr, winters were long and harsh while summers were short and cool. Here though, I'm practically sizzling in my armor"

Frederick nodded in agreement beside him "I had the same issues when summer rolls around in Ylisse. During those times however, Prince Chrom would order us to take a break and head to the beach for a swim"

"That sounds like a splendid idea. We do have the day off, so…" Xander tapped my shoulder as I passed by to check the mail "Lucian, do you happen to know if there's a beach here in Askr?"

I paused to think for a moment "I think there's one a little west of us. Here's a map for reference. I don't know the exact distance really"

I handed Xander a map of Zenith that was conveniently lying on the table beside Feh's roost. I was never good at geography. All I knew was that Askr Castle was located on flat lowlands of western Zenith, surrounded by forests, mountains and nature that made Askr Castle hard to locate and assault. I wasn't sure if the paved road even led to a beach.

"Hmm…" Xander traced his finger on the map briefly, drawing a line from Askr Castle to a detour on the road that led to the ocean "I think this should be good. Frederick, let's scout the beach before we call the others"

"Might I remind you two that I only gave day offs to the armored ilk of our army, for them to get used to the heat" I reminded the two cavaliers "You can't just go up and pull someone away from their duties for a beach day"

"Nothing dire is going on within the castle and everything's been stable so far, so I'd say to give our troops a little break" Anna interrupted, then turned to Xander and Frederick "Go on, scout the beach before grabbing the others. I want to join in too"

"Oh no. You aren't taking pictures of us in swimsuits to make money" Robin shook his head before handing me a report from one of our spies "Also, there's trouble brewing in the World of Awakening again"

"Another Tempest?"

"No. Something much easier to handle" Robin smiled "Emblians"

"Oh lovely. I've been looking for an easier battle lately" I opened up the report, scanning the minor details on the paper "So Emblians have invaded the World of Awakening while their summer festival was going on?"

"Yup. That means that the heroes we'll be fighting will be in their summer attire" Robin turned his eyes on Anna, whose own eyes were gleaming with excitement "And no, I'm not taking photos for you with your camera tome"

"If I didn't have work to do, I would come along. Ugh!" Anna pouted, then turned to Lyn, Florina and Eliwood walking out to the market for breakfast "Hey Lyn! Mind doing a favor for me?"

"Huh? What is it Commander Anna?"

"There's trouble brewing in the World of Awakening and Lucian wants to take you along as part of his team" Anna explained and I sighed in exasperation. Poor Lyn was being roped into this and I didn't even ask if she wanted to go "While you're there, take photos of the all the heroes in their summer wear with this tome and give the pictures back to me"

Behind Anna, Robin mouthed to Lyn "Don't do it! It's a bad idea!"

"Uhm… sure. I'll do it" Lyn accepted the grey tome from Anna and Robin slapped his forehead "But why can't you do it yourself?"

"I have urgent work to attend to. Managing the Order of Heroes is hard, you know!" Anna put her hands on her hips "So I'm leaving you with my… lesser known hobbies. I don't want to miss this chance!"

"Right and how can I take photos of heroes if I'm in the middle of fighting them?"

"Duh! You take it after you've liberated the world and receive thanks from them" The commander rolled her eyes "Obviously"

"Well, I can't hold it so here Robin. Catch" Lyn threw Anna's camera tome at Robin and the tactician pocketed into his coat tied at his waist "When will we be leaving and who else is coming?"

"I was thinking of bringing Legion and Clarisse since they haven't had much combat exposure yet…" I turned and saw both of them coming out of the mess hall "Oh, speak of the devil. Legion! Clarisse!"

"Ugh. No need to shout so loud" Clarisse grumbled as the two approached us "What do you need?"

"Embla has invaded the World of Awakening again and we want both of you to come along to help us liberate it" I explained "Seeing as you two haven't had much experience besides fighting in the training tower, consider this a test to prove yourself on the field"

"As longses theres fighting to be doneses, I will always be readyes!" Legion nodded vigorously "Come on, come on, come on! It's times for the killing!"

We left into the World of Awakening's portal and found ourselves on a beach nearby the ocean. Palm trees, umbrellas and beach chairs were set out in the searing hot sand. I really wished I had some sandals because my feet were getting roasted in my boots. The blazing sun also made me wish my hair wasn't black because it was absorbing heat like crazy. I was slightly jealous of Robin's white hair now.

"Well, we're here. I don't see anyone unfamiliar around though" Lyn scanned the beach for any sort of life, but it was nothing but sand and beach furniture.

"Sharpen your eyes because I see something on the horizon" Clarisse pulled a arrow out of her quiver and nocked it into her bow "That looks to be someone on a pegasus flying towards us"

"Hmm… and I hear the rustlingses of a thief around!" Legion walked over to a nearby palm tree and shook it, shaking a Emblian thief out from the leaves "Ah ha! There he ises!"

"What the- How did you see me there?!" The thief pulled his Poison Dagger+ out of his scabbard and threw it at Legion, but he deflected it with his axe "Arana! Get Robin and Tiki over here! We're being attacked!"

"On it!" The sword flier shouted "Are you going to be alright- Ah!"

The sword flier's words were caught in her throat as Legion swiftly cut down the thief with a single swing of his axe. Swallowing her grief and mourning for her fellow soldier, the flier flew off to the right, out of reach of Clarisse's arrows to find Robin and Tiki, who were getting ice cream at the plaza nearby.

"Robin! Tiki! We need help!" The flier shouted as she descended down to the ground, panting hard from shouting "Invaders from Askr have come here. They murdered Liron!"

"I wasn't expecting this to happen. We need a plan to repel the attackers" Summer Robin gritted her teeth and handed her ice cream to a nearby Emblian soldier patrolling the area "Hold onto this for me while I fight off the invaders. It better not be eaten before I come back"

"B-but it's really hot here. Can you spare me one at least?" The soldier pleaded and Summer Robin heaved a long sigh "I'm broke and can't afford one for myself. Please?"

"... Fine. Seeing as you don't have appropriate attire for this weather, I feel pity for you" Summer Robin turned to Tiki beside her, who was quickly gobbling up her ice cream "Tiki, let's go. Arana, you're coming with us"

"How many invaders were there?" Tiki asked as she finished the rest of her ice cream and picked up her weapon that was lying on the wall: a wooden stick with a watermelon attached to it "I'm not sure three of us is enough to fend them off"

"There's only four of them. It was enough to overpower Liron, but they can't stand up to the three of us" Arana tried to sound brave, but she was still shaken by Liron's death "Right?"

"Okay, I can tell you're a bit disheartened by Liron's death. We'll bring someone else to reinforce us in his stead" Robin gripped her weapon: a harpoon with a fish impaled through the point "Marcus! Come help us defend against the invaders from Askr!"

"Right away. I spotted them by the shore up ahead!" The lance fighter nodded, brandishing his Silver Lance+ "Let's move!"

"That lancer's leading a team of four back to us to attack" Clarisse's arrow was still nocked and ready "We should charge with Lyn and Legion in the front to meet them in battle"

"No. We'll stay on the defensive and let them come to us" I shook my head, gesturing Lyn, Legion and Robin to go forward "Lyn, Legion and Robin will take the brunt of the attacks while you'll fire from behind"

"A mage taking the front lines? Don't tell me your head was hit by a coconut"

"Surprisingly, Robin is quite the physically sturdy mage. Even more odd is that he struggles against magic" I replied and Robin nodded in agreement, drawing his Blarraven+ tome from his coat pocket as he moved beside Lyn "He's an unusual mage"

"Hmph. If he's that good at taking physical blows, he should pick up a weapon instead of magic" Clarisse narrowed her eyes "But enough talking. The enemy is here and I'll take first blood"

Before the enemy team could even raise their voices, Clarisse's arrow flew and nearly struck the lancer in the face. Acting quickly, he raised his shield to block, but Clarisse's arrow exploded into a plume of smoke on impact, blinding him and the enemy squad.

"Legion! Rush in while they're blinded" I commanded "You're more used to fighting in the smoke, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Legion leaped into the fray, hacking the lancer's neck off and bashing Summer Robin's leg hard before taking Tiki's melon hammer to the head, sending him staggering back. The sword flier flew out from the smoke and dived down to stab Legion in the back, but Clarisse downed her with a single arrow, sending both rider and pegasus tumbling into the sea. Her arrow sent off another smoke bomb, adding onto the veil that blinded Summer Robin and Tiki.

"Not going to stop here!" Summer Robin charged through the smoke despite her bleeding leg and stabbed Lyn through her waist with her Deft Harpoon. Lyn yelped and counterattacked, slashing Summer Robin twice before letting Clarisse land an arrow through her chest.

"Lyn, engage with Tiki from the front. Legion, flank her from behind and Clarisse and Robin, support from behind!" I called and my heroes moved into action, practically swarming the summer-clad manakete. I knew a friend I met in the Voting Gauntlet who would be stunned senseless by how beautiful Summer Tiki was. A shame we had to defeat her.

"By my sword!" Lyn's Sol Katti was wreathed in the twilight white energy of Luna as she leaped up, smashing the blade onto Tiki's head and melting her natural defense. As the manakete staggered back, Legion finished her off with a decisive swing to the back, ending the skirmish.

"No… Arana… Liron…" A lance flier spied on us in the far distance, staring at the blood gushing out from her sister's fallen body and pegasus. Her sister's boyfriend, Liron laid in the hot sand, covering in his own blood as well. The lance flier's blood boiled with anger, but she knew she couldn't take on the four invaders from Askr alone. She needed help.

"Nilana!" The lance flier heard someone shout her name and turned to see her friend, Salia fly up to her with a worried expression "What happened?"

"The invaders from Askr repelled Marcus's group and killed him, Liron and Arana" Nilana reported with an unsteady voice. Her pegasus tried to nuzzle her to calm her down "They're trying to liberate the heroes of this world from Embla's occupation"

"We don't have enough troops to hold them down. They vastly outclass us" Salia gritted her teeth, drawing a special weapon forged by the blacksmiths of Embla "But we have the advantage in weaponry. This Slaying Edge and your Reprisal Lance should surprise the Askrians"

"But two of us aren't enough to take them on. We need to find Frederick and Gaius. They can match up to Askr's heroes" Nilana replied, scanning the beach below her "Where are those two?"

"I think they're in town, looking for a drink" Salia arched her eyebrows "Are you sure they can help us defeat the Askrians? Both of them are bare chested and barely wearing armor. I think Frederick tried to throw seashells at us to attack when we invaded initially"

"Remember, heroes are special. Robin and Tiki will be back to assist soon" Nilana reminded her fellow flier "Us Emblians aren't so… fortunate"

"We'll get vengeance on the Askrians for Arana and Liron. I swear it" Salia promised "And Marcus too, of course"

"Right. Let's find Frederick and Gaius quick!"

We wandered around the beach town for a while, kicking around for Emblians or enemy heroes to fight. We only wound up finding regular civilians enjoying their time on the beach or in restaurants, strangely blissful despite two interdimensional kingdoms coming to invade them. I guess they haven't see us murder Emblians on the beach yet.

"We've wandered the entire square and haven't found a single Emblian or hero yet" Clarisse grumbled in discontent "And I'm getting hot as well. Can we go to the docks so I can cool off in the water?"

"Thatses… a good idea…" Legion looked like he was suffocating in the heat "Getting… hot in here…"

"Take off your mask then" Lyn suggested, wiping the sweat off her brow and Legion shook his head vigorously.

"Nope. Cannot take the maskses off. Nope, nope, nope" Legion refused "Never can and never will. Sorry!"

"If you can't take your mask off, then how do you eat?" Robin asked and Legion regarded him with a puzzled look.

"Eat…?"

"Forget it. This is unnecessary" Clarisse interrupted sharply "We're not getting any ground wandering around in this town. Let's look around the docks to find more enemy heroes or Emblians"

We moved towards the docks at the edge of town, where we found two bare chested men walking towards us on the boardwalk. One of them had a bag of seashells and was clutching one like a dagger while the other held a bow that looked like it was made of candy. His arrows were tipped in what looked like popsicles.

"It's… so… hot…" Summer Gaius complained, watching his popsicle arrow tip melt by the second "The moment I got my coconut drink, it turned into coconut syrup"

"No time to complain about the heat. It looks like those Askrian invaders have arrived" Summer Frederick faced us "I apologize for my attire, but know that I'll fulfill my contract and defend this beach!"

"Good luck with that kind of protection" Robin let loose a flood of ravens with Blarraven+ at the two men, but two Emblian pegasus knights suddenly swooped in, taking the attack with ease.

"Well, we found them and looks like they're taking on the Askrians already" The sword flier drew her sword, which looked like a Killing Edge with a red handle "Let's do this Nilana! For our Emblians!"

"Frederick! Gaius! Support us from behind!" The lance flier commanded and the two pegasus knights rushed at us with lightning speed, disrupting Clarisse before she could even nock an arrow. While Clarisse darted around the sword flier's attacks, trying to get an arrow ready, Legion dueled with the lance flier alongside Robin. Legion swung his axe at the flier, but she dodged and crimson light enveloped her purple, cone spear as she counterattacked, striking Legion hard. An arrow from Gaius followed up and sent Legion skittering on the boardwalk.

"Here's how it's done!" Robin blazed with fiery orange light, aiming his Ignis at the lance flier, but Frederick's seashell dagger came flying at the tactician's face and he was forced to divert the spell to protect himself. Robin threw the crow storm at Frederick and dissolved him into feathers in one blow. The lance flier took the opening to stab Robin in the shoulder with her spear, forcing Robin to back up.

"Clarisse! I need back up!" Robin shouted as he dodged another spear thrust "Legion's out of commision!"

"Mwa ha ha!" Suddenly, Legion laughed a maniacal laugh, running up to the lance flier like a madman and smashing his axe into her chest with Draconic Aura, breaking her armor into dozens of pieces. Legion did a follow up attack before she could recover, smacking both rider and pegasus into the water below.

"Nilana!" The sword flier jerked back to Legion, sword in hand "You'll pay for that!"

But as the sword flier flew at Legion, bent on revenge, Clarisse nocked her arrow and shot her down quickly.

"Big mistake letting the archer go free" Clarisse wiped the blood off her face from the slash the flier got on her while Robin finished off Gaius. Resting using the waters Nilana's pegaus didn't fall into, we got up and proceeded down the boardwalk, meeting out next challenge almost immediately.

"It's just an empty clearing here. We should turn back" I said and then turned around when suddenly, a wall pushed out of the trees and blocked out exit "Should of seen that trap coming"

"Ha! We caught you!" I heard Summer Robin's voice laugh from outside the box of walls "This was all part of the vaca- I mean plan. All part of the plan"

"Finding a good place on the beach to set up this trap wasn't easy, let me tell you" Gaius said. How did he come back so quickly?

"Robin, please be aware that I still have to collect all the shells. Your feet will not be in danger in the coming battle" Frederick said politely and Summer Robin sighed, scolding at Frederick to just be ready to fight.

"It all comes down to this. Win and we'll be free of our contract" Tiki said "Give it your all!"

"Well, I can tell you're trying to free yourself of this contract" Robin pulled out his tome "Because this trap isn't well concocted at all"

The tactician sent a bolt of lightning flying at a wall in our box, breaking it to pieces instantly. Summer Robin and Frederick rushed through the gap immediately.

"Take them on Legion! Robin, assist from behind!" I called and Legion rushed forward, having a short duel with the summer tactician before swiftly overpowering her and taking her down. Robin too had an easy time against Summer Frederick. Meanwhile, Clarisse was having an archer duel with Gaius with Lyn behind her in case Tiki decided to break down the wall. Eventually, I heard a groan of defeat before a gasp of pain and Clarisse nodded at Lyn to break down the wall. Lyn's Sol Katti cleaved through the stone wall like butter and Tiki came charging, bring down her watermelon axe over her head.

"I've handled axe wielders stronger than you" Lyn sidestepped Tiki's axe with her speed and stabbed the manakete through the waist, finding her bare skin surprisingly hard to pierce. Nevertheless, Lyn's Sol Katti slid through Tiki, who let out a gasp of pain before smacking Lyn in the face with her stick, forcing Sol Katti out of her. Clarisse let loose her arrows, but they didn't go far into Tiki's draconic skin and she brought down her Melon Crusher onto Clarisse, forcing her to roll to dodge. Legion rushed to face Tiki and sliced her Melon Crusher stick in half with his axe before burying the axe in her chest while Lyn stabbed Tiki through the back, dissolving the manakete into feathers. The air and gravity around us seemed to lighten, telling me our battle with Embla here was over.

"Well, now that you're all back to normal, let's fulfill Anna's request" Lyn bade Robin to give her Anna's camera tome "Get together everyone!"

"Hold on. The Anna of this world told me to give this letter to the representative of Askr" Frederick handed me a letter and I opened it up, reading it briefly.

"If the likeness of the heroes here are to be captures… a contract fee must be paid as detailed in the attached document" I read aloud, turning the page to widen my eyes at the contract price "How many zeroes is this?! Forget it. We're not doing Anna's stupid request if we have to empty Askr's coffers three times over for it"

"Let your Anna know this as a lesson" Tiki said sagely "Enjoy summer for what it is. Don't worry about money. After all, summer comes only once a year!"

"Tiki's right" Summer Robin agreed "Instead of making money, make some summer memories"

"We will. Maybe we can enjoy a day on the beach after we return to Askr" I told my heroes, who all nodded in agreement. Even Legion and Clarisse "Alright, let's head back home. Enjoy the summer day, everyone!"

I unhooked Breidablik from my belt and pointed it at the horizon beside me, clicking the trigger to open a portal back to Askr. We leaped inside and came back to Askr, rounding up all the willing heroes to share a day on the beach with us. Anna was pretty angry that we couldn't get any photos, but she'll just have to accept it. After all, it's like what Summer Robin said: Instead of making money, make some summer memories.

 **Chains of the Past:** Robin and Katarina's B support

Robin was lounging on a beach chair, enjoying a nice nap under an umbrella when Katarina approached him, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me Robin. Do you mind if we talk a little?"

"Huh… w-what? Oh, it's you Katarina" Robin rose up, tousling his white hair "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, nothing in particular. I just like talking with you" Katarina moved shyly under Robin's umbrella, bringing the shade onto her "Plus, I need shade from the sun. It's ridiculously hot today"

"I understand. Come sit beside me. I'll move" Robin moved his legs off his chair, letting Katarina sit beside him "You're not dressing for the weather?"

"Robin, you're a mage. You should know" Katarina rubbed her sleeve with her fingers "Mage robes are made to be thin and light to not restrict movement. That's the whole reason why mages can move better than anyone else in the desert"

"Ah, I see. I've never felt that myself" Robin gestured to his Blarraven+ tome lying on his chair "I've always had as much trouble through deserts as other infantry units are. It's weird"

"Do you wield magic alone back in your world?"

"No, I learned swordsmanship from Chrom as well. I felt that it was best to learn both sides of the spectrum to best exploit the enemy's defenses" The tactician replied "When I came to this world, it seems like I lost my ability to learn the sword. I can barely remember any of the techniques I had"

"Perhaps that's the reason you suffer the same as other infantry in sand. Having pure magical blood in you allows you to bend nature to your will slightly" Katarina reached over and casually ran her fingers through Robin's hair "Now that you're pure magic, I don't think you have those problems now"

"I hope so" Robin gazed out to the ocean, watching other heroes play in the water with each other "I imagine this is pretty surreal and jarring to you, given your upbringing"

"It is. I've never seen so many soldiers being so carefree, joyful and happy before. Not since when the battle against Medeus was over back in my world" Katarina held Robin's hand and the tactician squeezed it in response "It's so nice to see all of this. Even Clarisse and Legion are opening up and having fun"

"You don't want to go down and join them?"

"No thanks. It's not my type" Katarina moved a little closer to Robin "I just like being with you"

"Ha ha. The student and teacher grow close quick, don't they?" Robin teased and Katarina blushed "Pay it no mind. I'm just glad you're getting more loose and comfortable"

"I know. It feels like the chains of my past are finally breaking loose and I can finally walk freely" Katarina smiled "And it's all thanks to you and the heroes here"

"Well, I wasn't expecting to hear sentimentality from you today" Robin glanced behind Katarina and saw Clarisse and Legion approaching from behind with a bucket full of water. Clarisse put her hand to her lips for quiet "But I'm glad to hear it. You've grown as a person, mage and tactician. I'm proud of your progress so far"

"Thank you Robin. It's heartwarming for me to hear that" Katarina smiled warmly, then frowned at his forlorn expression "Something the matter?"

"You wouldn't happen to have your tome on hand, right?"

"I never do. I always just summon it when I need it" Katarina replied "Why?"

"Because you're in for a rude surprise" Robin smiled mischievously and Clarisse dumped a bucket full of water on top of Katarina's head, making both Robin and Legion burst into laughter.

"Oh come on! Why me, Clarisse?!" Katarina groaned as Clarisse giggled, setting down the bucket beside her.

"Because all you're doing on the beach is sitting here, talking to Robin. Leave the man alone and have some fun here" Clarisse encouraged, which was wholly unlike her. Katarina guessed she was opening up to Askr more than she was "He has an excuse to be napping like a lazy cat, but you aren't. Let's go!"

"Hey! Let go of me! Where are you taking me?"

"To the ocean, of course! If you want to cool off, you'll need to be in the water!" Clarisse dragged Katarina towards the ocean's edge.

"Can I at least change first?"

"Nopeses. Your robe will dry in the sun anywayses!" Legion took Katarina's other arm and on the count of three, Clarisse and him threw Katarina into the ocean, letting out a joyful laugh. Robin watched the three with a smile on his face. Finally, the three assassins were free from the chains of their dark, brutal past. No one deserved a life like that, be it as a child, teenager or adult. They deserved a life like this, free of darkness and able to enjoy the company of others.

It was the start of a good summer.

 **Have a cute conversation between Robin and Katarina, along with Clarisse and Legion. If it wasn't clear, I love New Mystery and the three assassins and I hope they get alts someday to make them keep up with the current metagame of Heroes (though that's very unlikely). The "** **friend I met in the Voting Gauntlet" is my close friend, Duplecian who's a big fan of Tiki. Nilana and Salia having a Reprisal Lance and Slaying Edge comes from my own headcanon that Embla's much more advanced in weapons and seall technology compared to Askr, evident by their creation of the Embla's Ward seal. I thought it would be a good way to spice up the story by making Embla a more challenging enemy to face. Coming up next is the Resonating Fangs Tempest Trial, so if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to leave constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time!**


	38. Tempest Trials: Resonating Fangs

A Summoner's Journey

Tempest Trial: Resonating Fangs

 _Team for this chapter: Celica, Sharena, Lucina and Lucius (Alm, Tobin, Gray, Kliff, Faye and Clair as NPC units)_

"Lucian. Do you have a moment?" Celica stopped me at the library's entrance today, her expression tight with discomfort. Her hands were wrung together "I'd like to ask you something"

"What is it Celica?"

"Lately, I've been having these terrible headaches. I can barely focus enough to spark a single flame" To demonstrate, Celica snapped her fingers and a small smark emitted, but no fireball formed in her gloved palm "I tried seeing Lucius and Priscilla for healing, but they stated that it had nothing to do with my body"

"I see. Are you perhaps drawn towards something?" I asked "The Robin twins, Tharja and Lissa all experienced similar headaches when the Tempest was raging through the World of Awakening. Maybe we should go investigate the World of Shadows"

"I was going to do that myself, but I didn't think I was allowed without you or the commander's permission" Celica nodded "Lead the way"

Along the way, we passed by the infirmary, where Sharena looked to be talking with Lucius and Priscilla while holding her head in pain.

"What's going on with Sharena?" I asked Priscilla, poking my head into the room. A couple heroes were resting on beds along with some Askran soldiers, wounded from their latest expeditions or missions. We really needed more healers here.

"She reported having horrible headaches for a whole day now. None of the usual teas and medicines seem to work" Priscilla replied "Apparently, she's feeling drawn to the World of Shadows's portal and wants to go investigate"

"Princess Sharena, I'm sure it's just the stress of fighting that's causing this. Perhaps you accidentally hit your head hard sometime ago" Lucius frowned, thinking hard "But none of the usual medicines or herbal teas work. What is the problem here…?"

"Me and Lucian are going to go investigate the World of Shadows to check if the Tempest is there. Princess Sharena, you should come along too" Celica offered "I'm not sure what connection you have to my world, but me and you experiencing headaches isn't a coincidence"

"Okay. I'm eager to get this stupid banging out of my head" Sharena punched the side of her head lightly "Anything to have it go away. I'll come along"

Sharena picked up her specially forged lance, the Fensalir that was lying on the wall and we bid farewell to our two healers. They waved with weary eyes before returning to treating their other patients.

"I should summon more healers. Lucius and Priscilla are clearly being overworked here" I said as we made our way to the portal courtyard "If there really is a Tempest in the World of Shadows, we'll need one of them at our side though"

"So you sensed the Tempest too, Lucian?" Lucina was suddenly by our side, observing the World of Shadow's portal with discomfort and interest "I can feel it. The chaotic energy within the World of Shadows… that can only be from the Tempest"

"So there really is a Tempest raging inside the World of Shadows" I bit my lip "Celica, you're the fastest one here. Go and fetch Lucius from the infirmary for us. Priscilla deserves a break"

"Right away" Celica nodded and ran off, dashing towards the infirmary and bringing back the blond priest, on my orders. Lucius looked a bit weary and tired from his infirmary work, but stated he was well enough to fight and heal, given he stayed away from the action. With all four of our heroes ready, we leaped into the World of Shadows, prepared for the Tempest to come.

"All Askran border guards, ensure all the civilians of the World of Shadows is safe before returning to Askr. Leave the Tempest to us!" I shouted in command as the swirling vortex of light ravaged through everything in sight. I was about to nod to my heroes to run into the Tempest, but Lucina mysteriously disappeared. Lucius said he spotted her running towards a nearby village.

"We have to quell the Tempest before it gets worse! What's she doing?!" I cried over the roaring wind caused by the vortex.

"I don't know, but we should wait until she gets back. Maybe she's trying to find heroes to reinforce us" Lucius replied, clutching his staff tightly while his long blond hair whipped wildly in the wind. Through gritted teeth, Celica glanced over and gasped.

"Over there is Ram Village! Lucina went there to find Alm and his friends!" Celica explained "They're coming to help us out"

On cue, Lucina dashed out of Ram Village's gate with Alm, Faye and three other villager boys. Clair swooped down towards them on her pegasus.

"Alm! What's going on here?" Clair looked back at the Tempest in the distance "First there was an earthquake and now the earth looks to be splitting in two. It's like the end of the world!"

"I know. According to this masked man, the source of the chaos is that white vortex up ahead. The Tempest" Alm pointed towards the pool of light "We have to jump in there and cut the Tempest down by its source to destroy it"

"Are you really sure it's safe Alm?" A brown haired villager holding an Armorslayer asked "We've never fought anything like this before!"

"Look, you guys can question and binker here all day. We're going into the Tempest first" I interrupted "Celica, Lucina, Lucius and Sharena, let's go!"

"Wait… Celica?!" Alm's eyes widened in shock as Celica flashed him a smile while we were running "Tobin, Kliff, Faye, Gray and Clair, we're going in after them!"

"What's Celica doing here?!" Gray asked as he ran alongside Alm, a new sword called the Zanbato in hand "Last time I remember, she mysteriously disappeared after the earthquakes started"

"I think it's related to the Tempest. Maybe she's in there" Alm replied "I don't know how, but I'm sure the Celica this person has isn't our Celica. She's somewhere else"

"That doesn't make any sense. Who even are these people?!" Kliff cried "And why are we even trusting them?"

"Because we're helping you save your world. Now stop complaining and jump in!" I called and leaped into the blinding white vortex, followed by Celica, Lucina, Sharena and Lucius. The Ram villagers were slightly reluctant at first, but as soon as Alm jumped in, the rest followed. We ended up in the graveyard on the island of Novis. Four zombie-like heroes: Ike, Karel, Jagen and Mist were among a frightening group of actual zombies and skeletons.

"How did this many Terrors get onto Novis?!" Celica gasped.

"Be at ease Celica. This isn't the real island of Novis" Lucina reassured the princess, drawing her Falchion in the process "The stages of the Tempest mingle with the world around it, creating battlefields out of the world's geography. The enemies we'll face are the world's most feared monsters. In this case, the Terrors"

"We'll handle the Terrors. You guys combat the hero zombies" Alm drew his own sword out his scabbard: a Falchion that gleamed in response to Lucina's own. Gray and Tobin readied their own swords while Faye nocked an arrow into her Firesweep Bow. Clair flew into the air, preparing to swoop down when ready. The Terrors growled and the enemy heroes glared, but none of them made a move.

"They… aren't coming towards us" I noted. The silence between us and them was eerie "Celica, bomb them with your Ragnarok"

"Allow me to assist" Kliff thrust his hand towards the group of monsters and a permafrost of ice appeared under their feet, freezing all of them in place. Celica weaved a firestorm in her hands before shouting "Ragnarok!", bring forth several wisps of flame that collided into a massive explosion. Though many of the Terrors were slain, the heroes weren't and they went on the offensive, charging towards us at full speed. Alm, Gray and Tobin took the front while Celica, Faye and Kliff fired spells and arrows from behind.

"Lucina and Sharena, hold the front line with the others. Lucius, stay with the mages to heal when necessary!" I looked up to the sky at Clair "And Clair, swoop down and catch the enemy by surprise when you can!"

"Sagittae!" Kliff's voice brought my attention to him as he thrust out his hand again, firing a bullet storm of deadly light arrows, vaporizing and stunning dozens of Terrors, letting the swordsmen and Sharena rush in to finish them off. Curious, I swiped my hand through the empty air to open up Kliff's stat page, my eyes widening at the array of skills I've never seen before.

"What even are these…? Fortress Def/Res, the Sagittae tome and Chill Speed?" I tapped on the magic stat screen to view the skills in further detail "Holy dragon of Askr… these skills are ridiculous…"

"Lucian. You mind paying attention to the battle?" Lucius tapped my shoulder with his staff and I shut off Kliff's stat screen "The Terrors and heroes were dispatched, but there's one Terror everyone's having trouble with"

I looked ahead to see Alm and Lucina's blades doing little to harm a skeleton covered head to toe in dark red armor with a giant skull-branded shield. The monster's spear was tall enough to rival small trees and that kept many of our heroes at bay. Faye's arrows bounced harmlessly off it.

"Tobin! That Armorslayer's probably really handy now!" Alm dodged the Fiend's lance and slammed his Falchion into it alongside Lucina and Sharena to hold it back "Bring it down! We got you covered!"

"Right!" Tobin rushed it and slashed his Armorslayer over the Terror's chest, cleaving through the rusted armor like butter and cutting the rotten flesh within. Roaring, the Fiend bashed its shield into Tobin, knocking him to the ground as well as the three holding back its lance. The Terror followed up with a downward stab into Alm's chest, but he rolled away in time, cutting the Fiend's lance arm by the elbow.

"Finish it off Celica and Kliff!" I commanded and the two mages rained their spells upon the monster, burying it under a storm of fire and light. The Fiend crumbled to ash and the world around us changed, transitioning into the next stage.

"Why didn't you guys kill it with magic sooner?" I asked Celica and Kliff as the next set of enemies began appearing.

"If you weren't looking at that magic screen for so long, you would of known what was going on" Kliff replied sharply "The Fiend threw his spear at us and it returns to his hand at will. We couldn't focus for long enough to cast spells"

"Nevertheless, we got through it and the next tide of enemies are here" Celica noticed shadows moving on the ground and looked up. I followed her gaze and saw a swarm of gargoyles, wyvern riders and pegasus knights in the sky. Unless they came down to attack us, our infantry heroes were at a severe disadvantage. Only Faye, Clair and maybe Celica and Kliff can reasonably deal with them.

"Alright everyone! Celica, Kliff and Faye will attempt to snipe the fliers out of the sky. Infantry units, guard them in case one of those beasts decide to swoop down. Huddle together!" I commanded "Clair, fly up and try to thin out their numbers. Avoid being swarmed by the fliers wielding axes"

"Very well" Clair shot into the sky, taking on the gargoyles and deathgoyles with ease. Every strike of her Silver Lance seemed to explode in angelic feathers, smiting the monsters to ash. The same effect didn't seem to apply to the undead wyvern riders and pegasus knights, so it must be a Terror-specific skill. From the ground, Celica, Kliff and Faye hurled magic and arrows at the flying beasts. Faye's arrows were a bit inaccurate and the Ragnarok wasn't designed for use in the air, so Celica switched spells.

"Seraphim!" The scarlet-haired mage shot orbs of blazing light that vaporized the Terrors on impact and even dented the enemy fliers fairly hard, letting Kliff finish them off with his wide spread wave of magic arrows. Some of the fliers decided to swoop down towards our ground force, but Alm rapidly slew the gargoyles while Lucina's Falchion cut through the wyvern riders like paper. Sharena held her own just fine against the pegasus knights.

"Our bonds give me strength!" Lucina called and slammed her Falchion against an enemy wyvern's Silver Axe, shattering it into pieces thanks to Luna. She quickly slain both rider and wyvern in two swipes of her blade "There's so many of them!"

"Kliff should be able to clear out a majority of them. Just hold the-" I noticed a gargoyle flying away from Kliff and Celica's carnage, aiming to sneak attack Lucina from behind "Lucina, behind you!"

"Wha-" Lucina jerked behind her as the gargoyle rocketed down towards her at surprising speed, Brave Lance flashing. The princess raised her Falchion to counter, but Faye's burning arrow clipped the Terror by the wings, sending it carrening to the ground and breaking to dust. A wyvern rider wielding a Hammer soared down towards Faye, but Gray and Tobin together brought it down. One by one, the swarm began to thin and more Terrors and fliers began flanking us to try and break our formation.

"Celica, Kliff and Faye, the sky's clear now! Assist our ground forces with cleaning up the remaining foes!" I ordered "Clair, you do the same. Assist our ground units!"

"Grant me strength!" Celica switched back to her Ragnarok and fired a storm of fiery wisps towards my right, bombarding a wave of Terrors and wyvern riders in an inferno of flame. She and Kliff both were practically drenched in blood from their magic, but Lucius healed their wounds. Still, that blood wouldn't be easy to get out of their clothes. As Celica covered our right, Kliff assisted the left.

"You watching?" Kliff's hand glowed with astral blue light as a tunnel of light arrows swarmed the leftmost force, burning them all to ash or significantly weakening them. The magic seemed to strain Kliff harder than Celica though, as longer cuts and gashes appeared on his body than Celica. It was giving Lucius constant work to do.

"Darkness begone…" Lucius whispered as his Rehabilitate staff briefly shined with Heavenly Light, bathing all of us in angelic light that not only healed Kliff, but the rest of our allies that were mopping up the remaining enemy. Gray played with a gargoyle like it was a child, darting around it with surprising speed while slashing his large Zanbato sword. A mini vortex of green wind blew underneath him, which reminded me a lot of Lyn's Galeforce.

"This is how it's done!" Alm finished off the last Terror with a decisive Draconic Aura, shifting the battlefield in the Tempest once again. This time, we appeared on a ship with several planks connecting us with another vessel. Alongside the four enemy heroes of Titania, Ryoma, Sully and Barst, a legion of Terrors were aboard the enemy ship as well. Creepy cultist-like dark mages roamed among the crowd of monsters as well. The infamous priests of the Duma Faithful.

"Even though I know this isn't real, it still brings chills down my spine every time I see those Cantors" Celica sparked a bright flame with her fingers "Everyone, those Cantors can summon masses of Terrors at will. Their only limit is their remaining lifeforce, so focus on them first!"

"Celica, Kliff and Faye, stay on the boat and shower the enemy vessel with arrows and magic" I ordered "The rest of us will use these planks as a chokepoint to take on the enemy one by one"

"Clair, watch the skies for enemy fliers. Those Cantors could summon gargoyles" Alm told the pegasus knight "Try to take them out when they least expect it. It'll get the endless tide of Terrors out of our hair"

"Here they come. Melee fighters, get to the bridges! Lucina and Sharena, take the left and Alm and Gray, take the right. Tobin, be prepared to swap places if they get injured" I commanded "Go!"

My heroes moved into action as the mages and Faye began to open fire with their spells and arrows. The enemy Sully galloped ahead and stabbed Lucina in the torso with her Sapphire Lance, temporarily breaking Falchion in the process thanks to Swordbreaker. Lucina called for Sharena's help and retreated, shoulder bashing Revenants and Bonewalkers off the bridge and into the sea. Sharena and Sully dueled lance to lance for a short while before Sharena struck hard enough to knock the Sapphire Lance out of Sully's hand, surprising the cavalier.

"Found your weak spot!" Sharena piked Sully off her horse and into the raging sea below before sweeping several more Terrors off the bridge. Her lance was made for the job. Titania trampled several Terrors in her way in an attempt to attack Sharena, but Lucina's Falchion recovered from Swordbreaker's curse and she pulled Sharena back to easily cut down Titania with a single strike.

"Hope will never die!" Lucina's Falchion was bathed in the twilight light of Luna and she cut down waves after waves of Revenents and Bonewalkers with ease, but the Cantors just continued summoning more and more. Alm's own Falchion sliced through Terrors like butter, but even he couldn't push through the legion. We needed Clair.

"Clair! Now would be a good time!" I shouted and the pegasus knight vaulted down over the three Cantors, spearing two of them in the neck before the third could react. He paused his summoning to summon a giant ethereal skull that breathed poisonous fog towards Clair, but the pegasus knight was fast. She moved like lightning and dodged the attack, thrusting her lance through the cultist's eyes. The endless waves of Terrors ended and Clair flew back into the sky as Celica and Kliff blasted the remaining force to shreds with their magic. As the last Bonewalker broke to dust, the ships and sea faded around us.

"Ah, I was waiting for these" I bent down to pick up 10 orbs, a large bundle of Hero Feathers and a sack full of promotional badges. As I stored them in my orb bag, the landscape changed itself to the entrance of the arcanist's mansion on Fear Mountain. The one we visited a few months ago to try and contact Zacharias. Only four heroes were on the outskirts of the mansion: Raven, Young Tiki, Nowi and Boey. No Terrors or Cantors in sight.

"Thank goodness for an easy fight. Lucina, Sharena, Alm and Gray, handle the enemy heroes while the rest of us catch a breather and heal. Alm and Lucina, target Nowi and Tiki first, but avoid Nowi's Lightning Breath" I ordered and the four left after being healed by Lucius. The priest went around and healed the rest of our group, sweat beading down from his head from the effort. Celica and Kliff sat down, covered head to toe in blood from their magic. Kliff grumbled that he never had to use this much magic in his life and that it'll take forever to wash the blood out of his outfit. Celica simply smiled in agreement and tried picking the dry blood out of her fiery red hair. Faye didn't feel comfortable sitting out, so she picked up her bow and arrows and marched out to support our heroes on the front line, finishing off Raven with an arrow through the head.

"Faye, you're going too far. Come back!" Clair swooped down in front of Faye to shield her from Nowi's incoming Lightning Breath, buying Alm time to cut down the dragon to ribbons. Alm smiled at the two girls and thanked them for opening Nowi to attack, but also scolded Faye for going a little too far, causing the archer to quickly apologize.

"And that should do it. May Saint Elimine keep you safe" Lucius finished healing Gray and Tobin and walked off, leaving the two boys awestruck.

"Holy Mila, what a woman…" Gray said to Tobin "She's got gorgeous blond hair and the gentle heart of Silque. Incredible"

"Guys, Lucius is a man. Not a woman" I interrupted sharply "Don't go fawning over him. Ask him yourself if you think I'm lying"

"Wha…? How can that angel be a man?" Gray looked flabbergasted "I… I have no words"

"Well, I knew that voice was a bit suspicious. Good thing we didn't jump too quickly, huh?" Tobin smiled with relief, then looked ahead "Hey, looks like they finished up"

"Yes they did. Lucius, heal them up before we transition to the fifth stage" I called and the priest moved to action, healing the burn marks on Lucina and Alm given by Tiki and the gash Boey gave to Sharena after using Gronnowl to blow her into a mountain. The fifth stage turned into the valley where we first fought Alm, Clair, Lukas and Faye. The four enemy heroes present were Felicia, Gaius, Ogma and Cordelia. No Terrors nor Cantors were present, but a handful of human-like Terrors wielding swords were scattered across the valley. A few even held shields of leather or iron.

"I remember these guys. Gray likes to call him the invincible mercenary" Alm winced beside me "Early in our adventure, there was this swordsman with a leather shield. If it wasn't for Kliff, none of us would be able to defeat him"

"And now there's six of these mercenaries" I said "Luckily, we've got Kliff and Celica, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Let's use this point in between the mountains as a choke point" Kliff suggested "Someone bulky should go plug that point"

"I'll do it!" Sharena ran ahead to hold the point while I ordered Celica, Kliff and Faye to support her from behind like usual. Clair would fly over the mountains and pick off the Terror swordsmen while Alm, Gray, Tobin and Lucina would swap with Sharena in case she got injured. Two of the mercenaries crashed against Sharena's shield, but the lancer took down swordsmen like them easily. Sharena impaled them through like shish kabobs and kicked their bodies off her lance just as they began to dissolve. Another pair rushed in to pressure Sharena, but Clair stabbed them in the back.

"Clair, watch out for the pegasus knight!" Faye nocked an arrow into her Firesweep Bow and fired, severely injuring the enemy Cordelia. Her pegasus shrieked in pain and went spiraling out of control, letting Clair get an easy hit on Cordelia herself. Meanwhile, Sharena held the point extremely well, with Ogma barely able to get past her while Felicia and Gaius's daggers bounced uselessly off.

"Sharena, dodge Felicia's next dagger! Her Glacies is charg-" I stopped as Felicia's blue ice shard of a dagger flew through the air and collided with Sharena's shield, busting a sizeable hole through and embedding itself in her leg "Sharena, pull back! Lucina, Gray, Tobin and Alm, rush through and slaughter the remaining enemies!"

As the four swordsmen went to work, Sharena staggered back to Lucius, holding her busted shield. Lucius muttered words of encouragement and soothingness before grasping the hilt of Felicia's Silver Dagger.

"Take a deep breath and bite your tongue" Lucius advised before pulling the dagger out of Sharena's leg as gently as he could. Sharena bloodied her lip out of pain and a couple tears fell, but she didn't scream. Lucius breathed a sigh of relief and picked up his staff, muttering the incantation to heal Sharena's wound on her leg.

"Whew. Thanks Lucius" Sharena took a deep breath and sat down to rest "How many stages are left Lucian? It feels like we've been fighting for hours now"

"We're on the fifth stage, so only two more to go. Once the others clean up the remaining enemies, we'll transition to the next one" I reassured, then looked ahead "Ah, looks like Tobin finished off the last Terror. Second last stage everyone. Keep it together!"

The next stage brought us back to Fear Mountain, where we first faced off against a large Emblian legion and Celica donning the Embla's Ward sacred seal. Fortunately, it looked like only four enemy heroes were present, along with a small wall of Fiends led by a red armored Terror, known as the Guardian.

"Celica and Kliff, tear through the Fiends and Guardian with your magic. Our front line units will shield you if they decide to throw their spears, so try to remain focused" I instructed "Everyone else, the enemy heroes should advance after the Terrors are killed, so be prepared to take them on. There looks to be an enemy Palla, Gunter, Effie and Cecilia"

"Kliff, I think it'll be a good idea to switch to less… taxing spells. We're wearing Lucius down to his bones" Celica snapped her fingers, creating a sparkling ball of light "And you know what spell to use when against Terrors"

Kliff frowned, holding up his hand "Uhh, I never learned Seraphim, Celica. I couldn't get the hang of it"

"Then use whatever else you have. Just not Sagittae" The princess replied, firing a giant mass of light at a Fiend, sending it staggering backwards "Maybe Excalibur or Thunder?"

"I'll go with Excalibur. Always the most reliable spell" Kliff swiped his hand downwards, summoning a gale of sharp winds "Excalibur!"

Before the Fiends and Guardian could retaliate, Celica's second Seraphim and Kliff's Excalibur collided with the Terrors, dissolving them into heaps of rusted and ancient armor. The enemy Palla flew over the mountains, Ruby Sword raised to strike at Kliff, but the blade miraculously barely scratched the mage. Palla retreated back in disbelief before Faye shot her down with a single arrow. The cavalier duo of Gunter and Cecilia rode towards our front liners, but were easily slain by our cohort of sword wielders. Cecilia managed a hit on Alm, but that was quickly patched by Lucius.

"Celica and Kliff, move ahead to kill Effie!" I called and the two mages advanced, bombarding the Nohrian knight with Seraphim and Excalibur, quickly taking her down. With her defeated, Fear Mountain dissolved around us and the final stage manifested itself: an underground catacomb with a large sacrificial bonfire in front of us. Four pillars held up the high ceiling above us and four defensive tiles were laid in the middle. Among the mass of elite Terrors such as the silver-clad Titans, Draco Zombies and Guardians, two Cantors were present. No enemy heroes were within the crowd strangely

"W-what is that? Is that me?" Celica gasped and pointed to what looked to be the source of the Tempest: a Celica with hair as bright as fire and was marred in blood, holding a regal looking sword. The jewel in the hilt of her blade burned like crystallized magma "That sword… that's the Beloved Zofia!"

"I remember her… she's the Celica who got possessed by Duma!" Alm clutched his Falchion tightly, like the event stirred up bad memories "I defeated her on my own before, but that was when she was holding back. Is she more powerful now…?"

"Servants of Duma, you know what you need to do!" Fallen Celica shouted in a strained voice "Kill these invaders of the Tempest!"

The two Cantors pointed their fingers at us, sending their wave of Terrors towards us. Alm's Falchion cut through the elite Terrors easily, but Lucina could only slay the Draco Zombies with ease. Gray slammed his Zanbato into a Titan's rib cage, but it barely cracked it's metal bones, forcing Gray back with it's counterattack. Tobin had an easier time against the Titans and Guardians thanks to his Armorslayer, but a Draco Zombie heavily injured him with a body slam from above.

"May belief be enough!" Lucius's staff shined with a bright radiance, healing all of us with Heavenly Light. However, a Cantor snuck behind from the pillars and impaled Lucius through with a spear of darkness, dissolving our priest into a cloud of feathers. Faye and Clair tried taking on a Guardian, but were defeated when a pair of Titans struck from behind. We were rapidly losing all our fighters.

"Alm, Sharena and Lucina! Target the Cantors and cut the Terror wave by the source. Celica and Kliff, help Tobin and Gray kill the Guardians and Titans. Snipe any Draco Zombie out of the air too!" I commanded, quickly changing my battle strategy. The three moved towards the Cantors, but disaster struck when Fallen Celica thrust out her hand, calling a curse.

"Chill Speed!"

Suddenly, a permafrost of ice appeared under the trio's feet, freezing them completely in place. They were helpless to combat the wave of Terrors surrounding them until Celica yelled, her eyes blazing with fire.

"By Mila's grace!" Celica thrust her flaming hands towards the group of Terrors, summoning an absolute inferno with Ragnarok to torch every last Terrors to ashes. The inferno exploded into a column of flames thanks to Blazing Flame, burning the Cantors as well. Celica's fire melted her counterpart's Chill Speed curse, letting Alm, Lucina and Sharena move again and slaughter the cultists. Meanwhile, Tobin was holding back a storm of Guardians and Titans with Kliff providing support behind him, trying in vain to cut down as many Terrors as he could with Sagittae. Without Lucius's healing, both mages were practically doused in their own blood.

"Have some of this!" Tobin slashed a Titan clean in half with his blade before striking a Guardian, making it stagger backwards. However, there were too much to handle and Tobin was swiftly brought down by a Guardian's lance and a Titan's sword. Gray's vortex of wind died down as he took more hits and he eventually went down under a hail of Terrors as well.

"No! Alm, Sharena and Lucina! Pull back and take down the Terrors before attacking Fallen Celica!" I shouted in desperation. Alm and Lucina pulled away from the fight, leaving Sharena to duel with Fallen Celica and rushed towards the Terrors, but Celica had other plans. She took a deep breath, balled her hands into fists and closed her eyes.

"If it'll save my world, I'll be willing to do anything for it" Celica chanted before opening her eyes, her pupils pure, radiant flame "RAGNAROK OMEGA!"

The princess brought both of her arms up to her face as a cross-shaped brand burned on her right hand. She summoned two spheres of flame in her palms and smashed them together, opening a pool of lava below the Terrors that erupted in a column of blue fire that shot all the way to the ceiling. Alm and Lucina backed away in fear as the Terrors screamed under the intense blaze, charring them to the point of no return. After Celica's apocalyptic fire died down, nothing of the Terrors were left. Not even ash.

"Hah… hah… Alm… I…" And Celica's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted, her blood pooling around herself from the effort of the magic. Alm quickly ran to her side and tried to shake her awake while I quickly commanded Lucina and Kliff to assist Sharena.

"Perish!" The battle between Sharena and Fallen Celica was rapidly falling into Celica's favor, with Sharena stuck in the permafrost of Chill Speed and the fallen princess's Renewal slowly patching up her wounds. Leaving Sharena to struggle in the ice, Fallen Celica smugly turned her back on the Askrian princess, raising her sword as the gleam of Renewal pulsed again, healing the last cut on her body. The hilt on Celica's Beloved Zofia flared with molten light.

"By Duma's power!" Fallen Celica suddenly pivoted on her foot and brought her sword down onto Sharena's head with Luna. Sharena quickly raised the Fensalir to block, but Luna cut cleanly through it, the blade crashing onto Sharena's head and running down her face, leaving a bloody scar. With Sharena stunned, Fallen Celica was prepared to land the final blow before Alm crept on behind her with the Falchion raised.

"Take this!" And Alm impaled the Falchion through Celica's waist, the fallen princess growling like a feral beast as blood trickled through her teeth. Alm removed his blade and Celica promptly fell, blood gushing like a fountain. She began dissolving into feathers and so did the rest of the catacombs around us. The ice covering Sharena's feet cracked apart and broke as we resurfaced in front of Ram Village, the world returned to usual. Gray, Tobin, Clair, Faye and Lucius all had looks of relief.

"The gods have shined brightly today. Thank goodness all of you are safe" Lucius smiled and raised his staff, healing the dozens of cuts and gashes on Kliff and Celica's bodies. Magic always had a price, which was why I decided not to learn it. Alm continued holding the unconscious Celica as Lucius's healing light washed over her. The princess began to stir, opening her eyes to see Alm's worried expression before smiling warmly at him, falling asleep in a tired slumber.

"Well, we defeated the Tempest and claimed it's rewards" I bent down to pick up another batch of orbs, feathers and badges, along with two new sacred seals. I'll have to ask Robinne about them later "Looks like the chaos has been settled"

"Just one thing though. Lucina told me that this Celica is from another timeline and will return to Askr with you. That means our Celica is still missing" Alm pointed out "The version of Celica we fought in the Tempest dissolved into feathers, so that couldn't be the real her"

Suddenly, Celica groaned in her sleep, clutching her head like she was having a headache. Similarly, Lucina looked troubled.

"... No, it's not over yet. The Tempest isn't truly gone from your world" The princess turned towards her right "After battling the Tempest for so long, I can sense where it is. It feels like it's… in the desert region northeast of Castle Zofia"

"That pirate fortress Celica mentioned before? There's another Tempest there?" Alm stood up, intrigued "Maybe Celica's over there?"

"It's worth a shot" Lucina paused, looking over the Ram villagers and Clair "I understand all of you are tired from the battle in the Tempest, so us four will go quell the Tempest ourselves. Lucian, send Sharena, Lucius and Celica home to get some rest. Grab another three heroes to take their place"

"... No. I'm going to stay" Celica stood up, despite her shaky legs "It is my duty to cleanse my home of any evil and chaos. I can't get this infernal headache out unless I destroy the Tempest"

"Celica, you can't go. You're too tired to fight" Alm pleaded, but Celica adamantly shook her head.

"I'm sorry Alm, but I have to fight. I want you to be reunited with your Celica" The princess stroked Alm's cheek lightly, causing him to blush "Nothing is going to stop me. I can't sit idly while my home is in danger"

Alm sighed "There's no stopping you, huh? Alright then. I'm coming along with you"

"Thank you Alm. I know your Celica would be delighted to have a husband like you" Celica kissed Alm on the cheek and took his hand "Alright, let's sit and rest while Lucian swaps out Princess Sharena and Lucius"

"I'm sorry, but I'm too tired to trek across the continent. Good luck out there" Tobin nodded towards us and took off back into the village.

"I've never fought that many enemies before, but it was a good experience and taught me the limits of my magic. Thank you" Kliff grinned briefly before following Tobin back home. Gray slapped Alm on the back.

"I'm sorry I can't be there with you, but I've got my limits too. Take down the Tempest for us, alright?" Gray said and Alm nodded "That's what I like to see. Good luck!"

"Stay safe and come back home to us Alm. Bring back Celica for us" Faye pleaded and Alm nodded in promise. The archer smiled and hugged Alm before returning back to Ram. Clair simply mouthed a good luck and thank you towards us before her and Gray soared off on her pegasus, flying to who knows where.

"Alright, you three sit tight. I'll be back in a sec" I unhooked the Breidablik from my belt and fired it into thin air, creating a portal back to Askr that me, Lucius and Sharena jumped through to come back. I sent the two off to rest and decided to grab my two old reliables: Robin and Priscilla.

"Lucian, are you sure you should be going back into the Tempest? You look like you're about to collapse from exhaustion" Priscilla pointed out and Robin nodded in agreement, but I shook my head in refusal. Back in my world, I always had a desire to make a difference in the environment around me. The life I had in Askr gave me that chance and I wanted to make use of it as much as possible. If I had a silver of energy within me, I could still keep going and save more people.

"I'm alright. I can keep going" I assured "I can't rest easy knowing people's lives are in danger at the moment"

"You're just like Chrom and Emmeryn" Robin smiled "A pacifistic savior of lives. But don't wear yourself too thin. It's bad for your health"

"I won't stop you now, but after this expedition, PLEASE get a long night of rest. Constant fighting and commanding isn't good for your body" Priscilla warned and I nodded.

"I promise. But first, the Tempest has to be quelled" And we leaped through the World of Shadow's portal. To stop people's suffering and give people a life free of hardship was my goal. A naive one, but one that I won't stop to achieve.

 **Sniper of Many Talents:** Robinne and Jeorge's C support

"Hmm… so these are the new Sacred Seals Lucian gave me. Let's see what the book has to say about them…" Robinne murmured to herself and patted the deep pockets on her coat, searching for the guidebook "Let's see… Wind tome? Don't need that. Chronicles of the Three Paths of Fate? Boring and full of plot holes. Ah, here it is"

Robinne laid down a book the size of a binder, titled "Items and Artifacts of Askr" and flipped to the section about sacred seals. The tactician examined the images drawn on the pages, searching for the ones that matched the seals when she felt a presence behind her, looking over her shoulder.

"Sorry, I should of-"

"GAH!"

"Oh, sorry about that Robinne. I should of announced myself before coming towards you" Jeorge apologized, stepping away to examine the book from the side "What are you doing?"

"Lucian recently defeated a Tempest and returned with these new seals. He told me to examine them and figure out what they do" Robinne managed to get her heart under control "And it's fine Jeorge. I was so entranced by the seals that I didn't even notice you come in"

"Regardless, I should still apologize. I came a little too close into your personal space" Jeorge smiled lightly "Anyways, have you figured out what the seals do yet?"

"I'm was still looking until you came in" Robinne chewed her lip and picked up the book "Let's take a look. Armored Boots, Hardy Bearing… Oh! Found it!"

The tactician laid down the book on the table to show Jeorge an image of a yellow coloured man seemingly running with a magenta background. The book named the seal "Phantom Speed"

"Phantom Speed. Sounds interesting" Jeorge picked up the other seal "This one looked to be a magical resistance boosting seal. Quite useful in light of all the dangerous mages roaming around"

"Yes, but this Phantom Speed seal is really what intrigues me" Robinne looked to her book again "Okay, the description is a little jumbled, but here's what it does. When using a skill that compares to the speed of it's target, the user's speed gets boosted for the purpose of that skill"

"And what kind of skills compare your speed to your foe, might I ask?"

"Hmm… for now it only applies to sweep skills like Alm's Windsweep or Soren's Watersweep" Robinne frowned "Well, it was interesting, but certainly not useful. Lucian hasn't summoned either of them"

"I believe it will find a use eventually" Jeorge nodded "Anyways, it looks like you finished your seal analysis. What do you plan to do next?"

"Well, let me ask you. What did you come here originally for?"

"I just finished archery practice, so I felt like sitting down and having a good cup of tea while reading strategy books" Jeorge replied, picking at his archery glove "I pride myself on being multi-talented. I want to be adept in both archery and tactics"

"I see. That's a worthy goal to strive for" Robinne nodded earnestly "I was planning on sitting down and finishing this history book I was reading. The Memoirs of Valentia"

"Then would you like to come sit by me? It's always a pleasure to be with more people than yourself" Jeorge offered and the tactician smiled deviously.

"Are you perhaps flirting with me Jeorge?" Robinne asked and the sniper smiled back, his ruse uncovered "Sure, I'll sit with you. After all, you are quite the charming archer"

"And you're the wonderfully bubbly tactician" Jeorge added sarcastically and Robinne laughed "Our little circle of strategists are getting close, aren't we? I heard your brother and Katarina are already… intimately close"

"My brother attracts women like a magnet. It's ridiculous" Robinne scoffed "And he can be so oblivious sometimes"

"Perhaps he ignores them so he won't accidentally break their hearts with his rejection" Jeorge replied "That sounds like something he'll do"

"That's reasonable" Robinne headed over to the mini kitchen in the corner of the library and made herself a cup of hot chocolate and Jeorge a cup of tea "What kind of tea brew do you like?"

"Earl grey tea, thank you" Jeorge searched the bookshelves briefly before pulling down a strategy book written by the ancient tactician Saias. Robinne arrived back with their drinks just as Jeorge found a place for the two of them to sit. The two of them read deep into the afternoon, eventually drifting away from their books to small talk with each other. Then it escalated to a stroll through the nighttime gardens.

"Well, that definitely didn't take long" Robinne giggled.

"Indeed it didn't" Jeorge kissed Robinne on the cheek and the sniper and tactician continued through the tranquil and twilight garden.

 **Phew, that was a lot to write. I felt that including the Ram Villagers Clair would be a more dynamic and interactive approach to the Tempest than just simply four heroes fighting four enemy heroes, so I hope you enjoyed the spin on this chapter. I changed the boss Celica at the end into Fallen Celica since the final map suggests it's the battleground with Fallen Berkut, so I thought it was fitting to fight Fallen Celica instead. Meanwhile, Jeorge and Robinne's relationship is building almost as fast as Katarina and Robin's. I hope it doesn't sound too cheesy. Coming up next is the Together to the End TT, since it's a direct sequel to the Resonating Fangs. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to give constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time, fellow summoners!**


	39. Tempest Trials: Reunited At Last

A Summoner's Journey

Tempest Trial: Reunited at Last

 _Team for this chapter:_ _Celica, Lucina, Robin and Priscilla (Alm, Sonya, Saber, Genny and another Celica as NPC units)_

Thanks to Alm and Celica's status as the monarchs of Valentia, they were able to secure quick and easy transportation towards the desert kingdom formerly in Rigel. The squad of Zofian pegasus knights dropped us off in front of a desolate fortress before flying away in the sky. Alm and Celica didn't even have the time to say thank you.

"Well, here we are. I don't see a Tempest around here" I turned to Lucina, who was looking around the empty desert like she was searching for something "Can you sense where it is, Lucina?"

The princess pursed her lips and closed her eyes, concentrating. She slowly trudged north, as if following an invisible trail.

"There. The Tempest is deeper into the desert, close to the old fortress of the bandit king" Lucina replied "Let's hurry. I think I can see traces of the Tempest swallowing up the desert"

We moved ahead through the desert, but it was ridiculously hard to get anywhere in the sand. I cursed our pegasus knight escorts for flying away so quickly. We could of paid them more to ferry us to the Tempest. Priscilla was especially having trouble, as her horse's hooves sunk into the sand and made it near impossible to move. The troubadour decided to dismount and let the horse go on it's own.

"Ugghh… should've brought a jug of water with me. It's a blazing hell out here" I grumbled as I took off my robe and tied it around my waist like Robin did. I stared ahead and saw the shadow of a large fort "That's the fortress you mentioned, right?"

"Yes it is. I remember coming here a long time ago during my journey to the Mila Temple. This was the fortress of the bandit king, Grieth" Celica explained "Funny. I remember Saber and Jesse talking about creating a mercenary kingdom here after the war ended. Yet we've seen nobody around"

"Maybe the Tempest has swallowed them. Me and Lucian know what the Tempest can do" Robin nudged me, then suddenly shuddered, turning his head over to his left "What's that noise?"

"Noise?" I cocked my ear in Robin's direction and distantly heard shouts of men and swords clashing. The occasional blast of magic echoed through the desert as well, which explained the random bursts of wind "Could the Tempest be over there?"

"I think that's just a random skirmish. Lucina said she sensed the Tempest up ahead, right?" Alm noticed the princess concentrating again "Do you sense anything different this time?"

"Yes actually. The Tempest is… this way now. The sounds of battle you're hearing is probably the heroes of this world fighting back against the Tempest" Lucina explained "Let's hurry and aid them!"

We ran as fast as could through the sand, climbing over a hilltop to find a swirling vortex of light in the deep pits of a valley. I could make our four heroes battling ghostly blue soldiers spawning from the Tempest: Celica, Genny and two other unfamiliar heroes. Celica was backed up by an unfamiliar purple haired mage that was firing purple blasts of gale that ripped the spiritual soldiers to shreds. The mage conjured a line of dark magic in a row in front of her, forcing a group of enemies to clutch their heads in pain, letting Celica finish them off.

"I can't take much more of this!" Sonya growled, glowing with red and blue light before firing another spell "I've lost count of how many we've defeated, but they keep coming!"

"It's been so long. So long that I can't even remember HOW long" Celica glanced behind her to see Saber relentlessly protecting Genny "Everyone's exhausted, yet they continue to attack us. At this rate, I don't know what will happen. Oh, Alm…"

Suddenly, the pair jerked their heads to sound of another battle raging left of them. Lucina and Alm took the lead, slaying ghostly fighters like wheat. Our Celica and Robin used their magic to wipe out large legions of soldiers, causing the remaining enemies to flee back into the Tempest, who roared in annoyance like a beast.

"Celica!" Alm called before blocking an enemy's Steel Axe, kicking them in the stomach before chopping over their head "Are you okay?!"

"Alm? Alm! Is that really you?" Celica ran to grasp Alm in a hug as the Tempest soldiers began to retreat "I didn't think I would see you again! Wait… why is there a second me with you?"

"Long story. We got reinforcements from another world to help us defeat the Tempest" Alm explained and Celica looked at him, dumbfounded "Yeah, I'm confused too, but there's no time for that. We got the Tempest to destroy"

"Right" Celica turned to her three companions "I know all of you are tired from fighting, but can you at least pull together to fight in the Tempest? Genny and the healer our reinforcements have can keep you all topped off"

"Well… I hate sitting around and doing nothing. So I'm in" The mage nodded, then turned to us "I'm Sonya, by the way. Pleased to meet you"

"Pleasure to meet you too, Sonya. I hope you can pull your weight" I smiled, silently marvelling over Sonya's appearance. I always found Camilla trying to be a little too seductive in her physical appearance, but Sonya hit the right spots. Even her voice was enticing. I hoped to be able to summon her later, although I had to keep Catria in mind with all these attractive heroes.

"What kind of mercenary would I be if I let my employer walk alone into danger?" The swordsman stood up from the rock he was sitting on, rolling his shoulders. He raised his arm and Genny healed the last cut for him "I'm going in as well. I'm Saber, your usual mercenary"

"Nice to meet you Saber. Are you… intending to fight with that dagger? I think a longer sword would suit you better" I pointed to the gleaming dagger in Saber's hand, which looked like a miniature version of Fallen Celica's Beloved Zofia back in the last Tempest.

"Ah this? The redhead lass gave it to me as payment for my services. Quite the interesting blade" Saber held up the Golden Dagger to the desert sun "Despite being a short sword, it's stronger than my regular blade, so I just kept it"

"Well, if you can fight well with it, then it's fine by us" Robin shrugged "And you're Genny and another Celica. So shall we go? The Tempest isn't going to wait"

"Summoning all those soldiers must of taken a toll on it. That's why it's been stationary for so long" Lucina remarked "Now's a good time to jump in and strike. Follow me everyone!"

Lucina ran ahead and leaped into the Tempest, followed by the rest of us. We found ourselves at an empty sluice gate, with a giant river blocked off by a large stone dam. A long bridge led from the mainland towards the top of the gate, which was populated by four enemy heroes, a Cantor and a handful of Terrors.

"Ugh Mogalls… I hate those things" Saber grumbled "They got tough bodies, so their ramming attacks sting pretty hard. Worst of all, they can multiply endlessly"

"And those damn Cantors can just summon more" Sonya groaned, raising her hand to conjure a sphere of purple winds "You just have to take out the source. Dark Excalibur!"

The mage threw her hand forward, launching a blast of dark wind towards the Cantors, tearing apart several Mogalls along the way. The gale blew the Cantors off their feet, letting our front liners charge in to take advantage of the chaos.

"Lucina, Alm and Saber! Take the front lines and take down the Cantors before they can summon more Terrors! Robin, Celica, Celica 2 and Sonya, take care of the other enemy heroes from behind!" I commanded "Priscilla, remain behind the mages in case anyone gets injured"

"Wait, who's Celica 2?" My Celica asked as she willed a simple fireball into existence, firing it at the enemy Sheena "Me or the other Celica?"

"You're Celica 1. The Celica from this world is Celica 2!" I replied over the chaos of the battle "You know what? I'll call you Askr Celica and the other Valentian Celica. That'll make it easier"

"That's much better than Celica 1 and 2" Valentian Celica bent down and pressed her right hand on the bridge, summoning a field of fire under the enemy squad that erupted in spires of flame. The enemy Sheena and Klein burnt to ash on the spot, along with several Mogalls and Bonewalkers. Once the fire faded away, Saber sliced the head off of the weakened Cantor while Alm and Lucina mopped up the remaining heroes. Thankfully, the rest of the Terrors faded once the Cantor was slain. Once all the enemies were defeated, the sluice gate around us evaporated into astral light before being replaced by regular ground. We found ourselves at the edge of a port town, with several bridges connecting land separated by rivers.

"Looks to be none of those annoying Cantors or Terrors around. Just your run-of-the-mill bandits" Sonya remarked, gesturing to the bustling group of brigands who haven't noticed us yet "And of course, the obligatory ghost soldiers are here too"

On cue, four enemy heroes appeared out of thin air on separate islands, scaring the bandits. Before they could gang up on the heroes and attack, they stretched out their arm like they were commanding them. Like a hive mind, all the brigands simultaneously jerked towards us with their axes raised.

"I've never seen the Tempest's soldiers do that before" Lucina gripped her Falchion "But nevertheless, they're just spirits created by the Tempest. They aren't actual people"

"Then why go through the trouble of twisting the brigands if they were already under the Tempest's banner?" I wondered aloud as the brigands immediately began rushing us. Alm, Lucina and Saber went in to intercept them "Alm, Lucina and Saber! Separate and each hold one bridge to choke the enemy force. Valentian Celica, Robin and Sonya, accompany one hero each on the bridge. Askr Celica, Genny and Priscilla, remain here in case anyone needs healing"

The three swordsmen separated and each took a bridge that was north, east and northeast of us. Alm and Valentian Celica were paired together, with Alm cutting down swaths of brigands with ease while Valentian Celica bombarded the incoming waves with fiery explosions. Lucina and Robin paired up and headed towards the northeast bridge just as the enemy Peri led a cohort of bandits.

"Right where I want you!" Peri blazed with a dim purple light as she galloped over, stabbing Lucina thrice in quick succession with Glimmer, sending the swordswomen collapsing to the ground with mortal wounds. I quickly sent Priscilla to heal her while Robin held off Peri and the group of brigands. Peri's Killer Lance and Glimmer proved troublesome for Robin, but the tactician held on and saved his Ignis for the right moment.

"Time to tip the scales!" A brigand managed to cross the bridge and raised his axe to strike Robin, but the tactician kicked the man in the face before enveloping himself in radiant orange flames. The sheer rise in heat stunned the bandits and Peri, lining up the perfect shot for Ignis. Robin tossed his tome into the air, calling forth the magic to spew an endless legion of blazing ravens to swarm the bridge, blasting Peri to ashes and shooting nearly all the brigands into the river. Despite Triangle Adept and Robin's triangle disadvantage, the tactician still knew how to pull through.

"Robin and Lucina, assist Saber and Sonya! I don't think Saber can hold the bridge for much longer!" I called, turning my attention over to the eastern bridge, where Saber was holding back a storm of bandits with Sonya backing him up. The green mage fired waves of dark winds that either sliced brigands in half or blew them off the bridge. However, the frequent archers, enemy mages and bandits using throwing axes made her life difficult, as she was already draining life for Dark Excalibur. I sent Genny to help heal the duo while Priscilla assisted Alm and Valentian Celica.

"Time for a little discipline!" Sonya swung her hand upwards, conjuring a wave of black gale that vanquished a row of bandits with Moonbow. The mage followed up by clutching her hand into a fist, transforming the blade of wind into a ebony tornado, forcing the ranged attackers back. The attack came at a cost however, as a massive cut sliced Sonya's leg. An arrow came flying towards her and she was too weakened to move back in time.

"You don't know when to quit!" Saber suddenly covered Sonya, creating a formidable shield of purple light with his Golden Dagger, deflecting the arrow easily. The mercenary immediately rushed in to massacre the archers once Sonya's tornado died down. Genny healed the mage with Physic, letting her join in on the action as well. Robin and Lucina weren't even needed, so I sent them past the bridge they cleared to ambush the enemy heroes from behind. The boss leading Saber and Sonya's side was Draug, who quickly fell to Saber and Sonya's attacks despite his powerful defense. Like most mages like to boast: No matter how thick your armor is, magic will always pierce through.

"Lucian, Alm and Celica cleared the northern island of enemies. We should be transitioning stages now" Priscilla told me as the world around us transformed, changing into the same desert fortress we initially found before we entered the Tempest. Four enemy heroes: Karel, Ninian, Sanaki and Faye were inside the fortress as usual, along with a Cantor and a small handful of Terrors. I sent the appropriate heroes to handle the cohort of enemies and we made it out with barely a scratch.

"Hmm… something feels off about this Tempest" Lucina frowned as I picked up the rewards spawned after we began transitioning "It doesn't feel nearly as strong as the previous Tempests and the soldiers here are easier to kill"

"I bet summoning those soldiers to fight us outside took quite the toll on it" Saber suggested "That's why it's easier for us to slay it's guardians from within"

"That makes sense. I have a feeling the number of stages in this Tempest is lower as well. We might find the core at stage six or so" The princess speculated "We're on stage four now, so it shouldn't be far off"

We found ourselves in front of a giant mystical temple now, which Celica called the Temple of Mila. I spotted two Cantors wandering around the temple, along with a troop of gargoyles and Mogalls floating about. Through the pillars of the temple, I also saw a collection of four heroes seemingly leading the enemy party: Ike, Clair, Raven and Maria.

"It's going to be difficult to assault this place from our position" Robin whispered "Not only are we fighting a downhill battle, those gargoyles and Mogalls can quickly get the jump on us from behind. We need to sneak in and take them by surprise"

I paused to think for a moment "We want to send people wearing darker clothes or use less flashy weapons. I think Lucina and Saber are best suited for the job"

"Alright, you two. Use the pillars to hide from the enemy heroes and try to attack the Cantors first. We don't want the battle to drag on longer than it needs to" Robin told Lucina and Saber "Saber, you can keep your sword drawn, but sheath yours Lucina. The Falchion is too long and will attract unneeded attention. Finally, creep quietly so you won't alert them. We'll be ready to back you two up if things go badly"

"Actually… I have something that could distract the heroes" Genny said in a small voice "I can summon ghostly soldiers to help us. If you want, I could send them to distract the heroes while Saber and Lucina move"

"That's a good idea. Priscilla, be ready to heal Genny after she summons her soldiers. Once the soldiers catch the attention of the heroes, Saber and Lucina will use the chaos to bypass them and hit the Cantors" I explained "Alright, you two will move on my command"

Lucina and Saber moved to the side of a hill, ready to move while Genny planted her staff on the ground, murmuring an incantation. Three long cuts slashed her legs as light began billowing underneath the cleric. Genny raised her staff and suddenly, seven spiritual spearmen appeared out of thin air.

"Go…" Genny commanded softly, pointing her staff at the temple's left entrance. The soldiers rushed in as Priscilla healed Genny's wounds, immediately catching the attention of the four heroes. Ike and Raven led the charge down the hill and clashed with Genny's spirits. I called for Lucina and Saber to start moving while I commanded my mages to support Genny's illusions from behind. Our downhill battle quickly turned in our favor as the illusions held back the heroes nicely while our mages bombarded them from afar. Ike threw a shockwave towards Askr Celica, but she raised a light blue shield with Distant Defense to block it before disintegrating him with Ragnarok.

"Not about to stop here!" Valentian Celica summoned a shining ball of light in her palm, lobbing it into the crowd of heroes and approaching Terrors. The sphere exploded in Blazing Light, searing our foe's vision and letting the rest of us slaughter the heroes and Terrors. Lucina and Saber emerged from the temple wounded, but successful in their mission. After Raven went down, Genny's soldiers evaporated into mist and the area transformed again, this time bringing us directly into the Temple of Mila. A large square of defensive tiles appeared under our feet while a grand total of six enemy heroes were our foes. Luckily, no Cantors were present.

"Fae, Lon'qu, Olwen, Eldigan, Caeda and Minerva" I noticed they were all paired up in their respective movement types "Okay, nobody move off the defensive tiles and don't let the enemy take cover on them either. Robin will handle Olwen and Eldigan while Saber deals with Caeda and Minerva. Lucina will take Fae and Lon'qu. Mages, pair up with anyone to back them up. Go!"

My heroes moved into action just as the enemy heroes got going. Eldigan slashed his Mystletainn over Robin's shoulder while Olwen rained stark blue lightning, but the defensive tile rendered their attacks fruitless. The tactician prioritized Olwen first, as she could be dangerous to Lucina or Saber.

"Blarraven!" A stream of dark blue birds flew out of Robin's tome, blasting both Eldigan and Olwen backwards. Courtesy of Quick Riposte, Robin cast another shot of his magic, taking down both cavaliers. Meanwhile, Saber took on both fliers, but they quickly seized the defensive tiles and made it hard for him to quickly kill them.

"Sonya, back me up!" Saber called as he stabbed Caeda in the stomach before parrying Minerva's Hauteclere. A gust of dark wind sent Minerva and her wyvern skittering before a pair of gales sliced the wyvern rider into submission. Caeda flew past Saber in an attempt to strike down Sonya, but both Priscilla and Genny's staves held the flier back long enough for Saber to cut her head off.

"Hope will never die!" Lucina cut down Fae's dragon form in a single swipe before crumbling Lon'qu to the ground with a Luna strike to his shoulder. Before he could recover, Valentian Celica burnt his body to bones with a simple Fire spell.

"I can sense it now. The source of the Tempest is in the next stage" Lucina warned me "We should quickly heal everyone before the final battle begins"

"Right. Priscilla, is your Heavenly Light ready?" I asked and the troubadour nodded, healing up Robin before shining a radiant flare of light to heal the rest of our relatively minor wounds. The world around us shifted and changed into a cold basement-like area with a large symbol drawn on the ground in blood red colouring. The symbol seemed to bother Robin, as he growled and clutched the back of his gloved right hand. Looking closer, it looked remarkably similar to the Brand of the Fell Dragon I saw in the 'Chronicles of Awakening'.

"The Brand of the Fell Dragon… to think that the legacy of Grima spread even this far back in time" Lucina bit her lip in distaste while tightening her grip on the Falchion with anger "But now's not the time to ponder that. Looks like company has arrived"

In the center of the giant brand, a clone of Sonya seemed to be in the middle of a ritual. Dark smoke billowed off of her body and when she turned to face us, we saw glowing red eyes.

"Hmph. While I'm flattered the Tempest decides to use an image of me as their source, that dark smoke and red eyes really don't suit my look. Reminds me too much of bad times" Sonya conjured a sphere of purple wind "There can only be one of me. Say goodbye, imposter"

Sonya fired a blade of ominous wind and the enemy Sonya did the same, both Dark Excaliburs clashing in midair. I noticed brief tinges of red and blue light on our Sonya's Dark Excalibur however, which let hers break fake Sonya's magic. The wave rocketed towards fake Sonya, but she evaded it and muttered in an incomprehensible language, summoning four heroes to her aid: Roderick, Nino, Eirika and Hector. Roderick and Hector were in a pair while Nino and Eirika did the same. The combination of Eirika's Sieglinde and her Hone Speed significantly empowered Nino.

"Saber and Robin, go and attack Nino and Eirika. Saber, use your Aegis to block Nino's Gronnblade" I ordered "Valentian Celica, Alm and Lucina, take on Roderick and Hector. Sonya and Askr Celica, defeat fake Sonya. Come back to Priscilla or Genny for healing when needed!"

My heroes rushed into action as fake Sonya blasted another wave of Dark Excalibur, which Askr Celica blocked with Distant Defense. Sonya stomped her foot on the ground, conjuring a line of dark magic with Resistance Ploy to break fake Sonya's focus slightly. Askr Celica followed up with a quick Ragnarok, but fake Sonya was surprisingly agile, darting away from the flames and Sonya's magic like a dancer.

"Let's have some fun!" Sonya swept her hand upwards, conjuring a gust of wind to knock fake Sonya off balance, letting Askr Celica catch her with an exploding fireball. The princess attempted a follow up attack to finish fake Sonya off, but the mage cast Dark Excalibur at lightning speed thanks to Vantage. Celica raised her Distant Defense shield in response, but the moon of Moonbow burned in the air and shredded Celica's shield, tearing the mage until she dissolved into feathers in defeat. Before fake Sonya could regain her footing however, Sonya summoned a dark tornado that tore the enemy mage into particles. Upon her death, her summoned heroes died as well and the world evaporated around us. The Tempest faded to nothing and we reappeared in the desert valley, with Askr Celica waiting for us.

"The vortex… just disappeared" Valentian Celica remarked.

"I can't believe my eyes" Alm agreed "The ground had cracked open, but now... it's like time has run in reverse"

"The Tempest is gone" Lucina said officially "Both space and time have quieted. Well done, heroes from the World of Shadows. The danger has receded and your world is safe"

"Lucina, thank you so much for guiding us through these two Tempests. We owe you much for this" Alm glanced at his Falchion "Although I'm still mystified about how we both possess Falchions…"

"Perhaps Celica or Kliff could provide you with that information" Lucina smiled lightly "And thanks aren't necessary. Your world holds special meaning for me too. I visited here myself some time ago. Though I suppose it would be more accurate to say that it was far in the future…"

"The future, you say?" Valentian Celica looked over Lucina "I can see that. You seem to be… very otherworldly"

"Indeed. I'm afraid we can't stay to talk more unfortunately" Lucina glanced at me "Our mission is complete and we should return to Askr now"

"Right. I hope all of us can meet again someday" I unhooked the Breidablik and created a portal back to Askr "It's been a honor to meet you all. Farewell!"

"Thank you and stay safe!" Valentian Celica waved us goodbye as we jumped through the portal to return back to Askr. Per Priscilla's request, I immediately went to rest after dismissing my heroes. I hope the Tempest would stay down for a while. The gauntlet of battles was really starting to wear my energy thin. Before sleep claimed me however, someone knocked on my door and I opened it to see Robinne and Jeorge.

"Sorry to interrupt nap time, but I heard you returned from fighting the Tempest" Robinne told me "Did you happen to get any new seals for me to analyze?"

"Oh yeah. Sorry, I forgot to give the seals over to you" I went over to my desk and opened my orb bag, digging through the pile of orbs, feathers and crystals to find two seals, handing them to Robinne "Analyze them and update the resource guidebook with the new information"

"Before we forget, what should we do with the new heroes?" Jeorge asked and I looked at him, puzzled. I didn't summon any heroes before or after I attacked the two Tempests. What new heroes?

"What new heroes? If I remember correctly, the latest hero we've recruited was Clarisse" I replied and Robinne shook her head.

"After you went upstairs, two new heroes arrived at our doorstep. They introduced themselves as Tobin and Clive respectively" The tactician explained "Tobin's an infantry swordsman with an Armorslayer while Clive's a lance cavalier with a Silver Lance"

"Huh. I remember Tobin from the first Tempest in the World of Shadows, but I've never seen or heard of Clive before" I was far too tired to train them right now, but I had to give them something to do "Send them to Alfonse first for a quick breakdown of Askr before sending them alongside Anna and Olivia to the training tower. Might as well make use of them"

"Understood. Have a good sleep, Lucian" Robinne nodded "I know what it's like to feel overworked, so don't overexert yourself too much. You're not a hero like we are. You're just human"

"Yeah, I haven't felt this tired in my life. Not since gym class back at home" I muttered and the pair laughed. The two left me in peace to get some well needed rest, but something told me this pair of Tempests was the prelude for more to come.

 **Circle of Strategists:** Robinne and Jeorge's B support

"Sorry for keeping you on hold, Tobin and Clive" Robinne apologized to the pair at the castle lobby "We needed the summoner's permission before we could decide what to do with you two"

"So… what do you want with us? Both of us woke up in the middle of nowhere and it doesn't seem like we can go home" Tobin replied "Might as well make the best of our situation here"

"This "Order of Heroes" seems like a good organization. I believe we can trust them" Clive said "So what do you want us to do?"

"Come with us to the castle library and find a man with short blue hair wearing beige armor. He's the prince of Askr, Alfonse" Jeorge explained "Typically, he teaches new heroes the ways of Askr and will help you find your place here. Afterwards, Commander Anna and our resident dancer, Olivia will guide you to the training tower to assess your combat skill"

"Alright. Take us there right away" Clive nodded and the four headed off towards the library, passing by the training yard, castle gardens and the newly formed banquet and dance hall on the right wing. Anna's office was always littered with plans on how to make more money along with blueprints for extra features to the castle. It seems like she was an architect at heart.

"We're here. Prince Alfonse should be by his desk in the corner of the library" Robinne pointed to the small classroom beside the mini kitchen "Go and tell him you're a new hero here and he'll walk you through the rest. Me and Jeorge need to do something for Lucian, our summoner"

"Sounds good. Thank you for guiding us" Tobin nodded and the two headed off. Robinne and Jeorge went to the resource hub on the top right corner of the library, across from the Combat Manual archives. Robinne laid down the two seals she received from me and reached into her coat to pull out the Askrian Artifacts guidebook. She flipped to the seal section, searching for the image that matched the seals.

"Let's see… the first seal is the Attack Ploy seal. I remember Katarina originally possessing this skill" Robinne said "It allows the user to manipulate their magic to send a horizontal or vertical trail to disrupt the foe's striking power or magical focus"

"And the second one? That one looks new" Jeorge asked as he took a pencil and updated the resource guidebook himself.

"That one looks to be… Hardy Bearing. It's an interesting skill to say the least" Robinne scanned the page in her book, silently reading the description "Okay, Hardy Bearing cancels skills that manipulate the order of attacks that are typically thrown out. Usually, the initiator attacks first and then the foe counterattacks, but skills like Vantage or Desperation change that order"

"So that means that anyone with Hardy Bearing equipped can revert the order of attacking back to normal" Jeorge deduced "By disabling their Vantage or Desperation skills"

"In a nutshell, yes" Robinne nodded "However, Hardy Bearing has a drawback in which the user can't use these skills. So if Lucian were to decide who to give Hardy Bearing to, it should be someone who doesn't use Vantage, Desperation eck cetera"

"Interesting. We'll definitely find a user for that, unlike Phantom Speed" Jeorge replied and Robinne laughed "Okay, I updated the resource log"

"Good. Then it looks like our work is done for today" Robinne shut her book and slid it back into one of her coat pockets "Well, we got the rest of the day to ourselves. I never thought that would happen for two days in a row"

"You don't get a lot of free time, do you? You always seem to be working, doing chores or doing errands for Lucian" Jeorge remarked "Were you this much of a workaholic back in your world?"

"I was. As Chrom's tactician, I felt like there was always something for me to do and I didn't feel right without my hands working" Robinne frowned "Although it's so jarring to think of my own world now. Robin mentions that I was the vessel for Grima in his world, but I remember him being the vessel and me being Chrom's tactician"

"That kind of confusion is a given in a world where so many timelines collide. I wouldn't think about it too much if I were you" The sniper advised "Besides, both you and your brother are here now, Fell Dragon-less. So there's nothing to really worry about"

"I suppose you're right. It's just something to ponder over if I'm bored" Robinne shrugged "Anyways, we COULD wait for Tobin and Clive to finish with Alfonse so we can access their combat skills ourselves, but Lucian left Anna and Olivia with that job"

"Where's your brother and Katarina? Maybe we can find them and drag them out to the market for a little while" Jeorge suggested "I think all of us have been cooped up in the castle for too long. We need some fresh air"

"Robin's fast asleep because of the Tempest, but I think I saw Katarina reading alone here in the library. Let's try to find her" Robinne nodded "I heard there's a summer festival going on down in Askr's castle town, so that's something to spend the rest of our day with"

"Sounds good. Let's go then" Jeorge nodded and the two easily grasped hands, squeezing it before leaving the resource hub to find Katarina.

" _Our little circle of strategists is like a family now. I never thought that could happen with so many worlds coming together here"_ Robinne thought to herself " _But it's a new experience that has given me new challenges, new friends and of course, Jeorge. I wouldn't mind staying here for good long time…"_

 **Phew. Wrapped up most of that in a single day. Tempest Trials are starting to take their toll on me like Voting Gauntlets, so I might shorten it down to five battles or so to not exhaust myself or you. Coming up next is a windfall of content: the Bitter Enemies story maps, the Nohrian Summer paralogue and the Berkut GHB, so I've got a lot of work to do. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to leave constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time, fellow summoners!**


	40. Chapter 12: Bitter Enemies

A Summoner's Journey

Chapter 12: Bitter Enemies

 _Team for this chapter: Alfonse, Sharena, Catria, Minerva_

"Ugh… I haven't been to archery practice in so long. My body isn't used to it anymore" I grumbled to Catria as we headed back into the castle together for lunch "My fingers and back are so sore…"

"That often happens when you neglect your training. The only way to adapt to rigorous activity is to do it everyday" Catria replied "But you being the summoner and chief tactician, I doubt you have much time for that"

"Yeah. Because of my role here, my progress with archery is slow as a snail" I sighed "I've been on hiatus for so long that I forgot the proper form and how to hold a bow properly. Needless to say, Jeorge and Klein were a bit disappointed in me"

"Are you sure you want to learn how to fight? Remember that you aren't a hero" The pegasus knight reminded me "If you fell in battle, you'd permanently be dead. Then suddenly, Embla has a massive advantage over us in the war"

"Anna can always just summon another summoner. It's fine" I joked "But seriously, I'm fine. I want to do more on the battlefield than just bark orders all the time. Supporting the heroes from the back with my bow is one way to do it"

"Well, you're going to need to find time to get serious with it. You still aspire to learn how to fly a mount, right?" Catria distantly stared out the window as we passed the castle's indoor garden "Take it from me. Taming your mount and learning how to control it isn't easy. It took three tries and a dislocated shoulder before I could master my pegasus"

"How did you dislocate your shoulder?"

"Got thrown off when I was still trying to safely ride her. Landed on my arm pretty hard"

"Ouch. Still, I think a dislocated shoulder was the least of the injuries you could of gotten" I winced "You sound like you're trying to dissuade me from learning how to fly"

"Truth be told, I am. You already have the burden of being the legendary summoner along with the chief tactician of the order. Learning how to fight and fly is just an extra layer of work and pressure for you" Catria placed her hand on my shoulder "You told me about your world before and it sounds like you never experienced war before now. Are you sure your body can handle all of this?"

"I may have not experienced the stress of warfare before, but I know myself. I can accomplish a lot when I'm passionate about something" I replied defiantly "So I'll still try to learn archery and flight until my body can't handle it anymore. If I eventually return to my world, I want to try something new here at least once"

"That's understandable. I'll help you out in flight training once we find a mount for you" The Whitewing nodded "Although Minerva has gone out twice to search for wyverns all over Askr and both attempts were fruitless"

"And Embla is too dangerous for a solo flier to search alone" I finished "But one day, maybe we'll go somewhere where wyverns are a local species. Then I can try to befriend one"

"Try not to get roasted by it's fire or clawed to death. Wild wyverns don't exactly welcome strangers" Catria pursed her lips "Maybe if we find one, pleasure it with a large amount of food. That should stop it from eating you outright"

I swallowed. I didn't think befriending a dragon would be this dangerous, but I probably should of saw it coming. I didn't really give this a lot of thought "I should probably bring some guards with me as well in case. But that's a problem for the future"

"We'll plan it out once it arises" Catria nodded, then turned to her left "Hey, what's Alfonse, Sharena and Anna doing in the war room? They look to be in deep discussion:

"Let's go see what's going on" I took Catria's hand and led her into the torch-lit war room, where the magic war table pulsed with astral blue light. Many maps lined the walls of the room along with several bookshelves of history tomes. There were maps of Zenith, Elibe, Magvel, Ylisse, Archanea and every other world currently known. There was even a map for the so-called "Fateslandia" as Robinne jokingly dubbed. Wedged in between two bookshelves was a mini kitchen, in case any of our strategists got thirsty while studying maps.

"Good afternoon everyone. What are you all talking about?" I asked as me and Catria took Alfonse's side of the table. Alfonse, Sharena and Anna rarely had discussions as a trio in the war room, so it must of been serious.

"Me and Sharena were mulling over Zacharias and Anna caught wind of it. She took us to the war room to discuss further" Alfonse explained, then gestured to the enlarged hologram of the map of Valentia "We last saw Prince Bruno in the World of Shadows, so maybe we can find him there. If he really did kill Zacharias, then he's the only one who knows the truth"

"It's worth a shot. We might encounter enemy heroes there, so it'll be best to bring a team of four just in case" Anna suggested, then turned to me "Lucian, who would you like to accompany you? Pick two heroes, since Alfonse and Sharena are practically required to go"

"Two heroes, huh? I'll bring along Catria and Minerva" I decided and Catria nodded in agreement "We don't know who we'll be facing in the World of Shadows and last time I encountered Bruno, he wasn't acting exactly… normal. It'll be best to have two fliers in case of an emergency"

"Sounds good. Catria, do you know where Princess Minerva is?" Alfonse asked the Whitewing.

"I think she went to the training tower with Prince Michalis and Cordelia. I'll go find them" Catria replied "Take some time to prepare and have lunch. The tower is a fair distance from here, even for my pegasus"

"Alright then. It's settled" I pressed a button on the table and disengaged the holographic map "Me, Alfonse, Sharena, Catria and Minerva will go to the World of Shadows to interrogate Bruno about Zacharias. But first, lunch"

"I heard Peri and Rebecca volunteered to cook alongside the chefs today. Even Felicia is getting into it, although Peri and Rebecca keep a close eye on her food" Alfonse said "Maybe we can try their dishes out"

"Sure. Let's see what they've cooked up" I nodded, then turned to Catria "Stay safe on your journey, alright?"

"Come on Lucian. It's just a trip to the tower on my pegasus" Catria joked "But thank you regardless. I'll be back soon"

The Whitewing quickly left the war room while us four headed towards the mess hall. The dishes Rebecca and Peri cooked up were surprisingly incredible. The baked potato Rebecca made was flavorful and delicious while the steak Peri cooked was nice and juicy. Not to insult the order's chefs or anything, but I wouldn't mind eating meals prepped by Peri and Rebecca for the rest of my life.

"I talked to Peri a little bit about this whole cooking idea" Anna said as she dug into her pasta "She said that the reason she became so good at cooking is because she often done it herself, in fear of poisoned food. Partial natural talent as well"

"I heard that she also delights in cutting meat because of the blood spewing" Alfonse remarked "But why would she be worried about poisoned food?"

"Ask her yourself if you want. I don't remember everything" Anna shrugged "You might want to have your hand on your sword though. She can be unpredictable with her dagger"

"Noted"

We were too distracted by our food to continue conversation. We wrapped up just as Catria returned with Minerva.

"Lucian, Minerva and Cordelia seemed to have encountered a problem at the tower" Catria reported when we left the mess hall "Apparently, they found Emblian soldiers there"

"They stuck out like a sore thumb among the training automatons and hero statues" Minerva continued "The leader of the squad noticed us and demanded that we release Prince Bruno of Embla. They must of recognized us as part of the Order of Heroes"

"They think we've kidnapped Bruno?" I frowned "I guess Embla doesn't know about him wandering the World of Shadows"

"They attacked us, so we managed to rout them" Minerva continued "But just in case, I'd say to reinforce the border patrol and castle guardsmen. Embla might attempt to send in spies to 'rescue' Bruno"

"Good idea. Anna, dispatch the border guards in the outposts to watch out for Emblian soldiers. Also tell the castle guards and heroes to be on high alert. Embla might send thieves to infiltrate the castle through the vents" I ordered.

Anna frowned "The vents are too small for anyone to crawl through"

"You get my point. Just tell everyone to look out for anything suspicious"

"Alright. I'll do that" Anna separated from us and went into her office for paper while we headed down to the courtyard. I did a last minute check on everyone's equipment and skills. Alfonse had his specially forged sword, the Folkvangr along with Swap, Bonfire, Death Blow, Swordbreaker and Spur Attack in his skillset. Sharena had the Fensalir, Reposition, Moonbow, Fury, Renewal and Hone Attack. Catria had her Killer Lance, Reposition, Luna, Fury, Desperation and Goad Fliers while Minerva had her Hauteclere, Reposition, Draconic Aura, Life and Death, Axebreaker and Goad Fliers. Everyone was set and ready to go. Conjuring the magic to view everyone's skillsets fatigued me slightly, but it wasn't too much trouble.

"Alright everyone. Let's get into the World of Shadows and ask around to see if anyone has seen Bruno. He should stick out like a sore thumb among the Valentians" I said "Everyone ready? Let's move"

All of us leaped into the World of Shadows portal and we landed on the outskirts of a sluice gate, very similar to the one we saw in the last Tempest. Instead of Terrors however, the top of the gate was populated by two pegasus knights, a cavalier and two mages. The thunder mage in particular was a young girl with short brown hair tied with a yellow ribbon.

"Finally! I was getting bored waiting around for you" The girl grinned and opened her astral purple tome. It looked remarkably similar to Linde's Aura tome that Robinne chronicled in the resource hub.

"You've been waiting for us?" I asked and the mage giggled.

"Of course I was. Some random army popped in just a few hours ago and managed to defeat me. They put me under this contract thing" The mage shrugged, like she didn't really care all that much "They warned me of another army coming in led by a man wearing white and gold. They said you were going to be a good challenge"

"That army must of been the Emblians. They came here to find Prince Bruno…" Alfonse realized, then raised his voice "Did they mention anything else besides waiting here to fight us?"

"Hmm… they also mentioned something about looking out for a tanned, masked man, but I don't remember anything else" The mage brushed her hand over the pages of her tome, conjuring a collection of light rings "Anyways, my name's Delthea. I hope you aren't thinking of underestimating me just because I'm so darn cute. That would be a big mistake. My magic will blow you off the battlefield. So, who's first?"

"Let's see your magic firsthand then. Catria and Minerva, flank the enemy from the left and right. Alfonse and Sharena, take the front!" I commanded and the battle begun with Delthea throwing her spell at Alfonse. A tower is dark purple rings descended from the sky above Alfonse's head, but he darted away just in time before the rings smashed a hole through the solid stone gate. Catria swooped down to catch Delthea, but the sword cavalier reached Catria first, delivering two stinging blows with his Brave Sword.

"Minerva, flank behind the enemy team and take down Delthea quickly! She's the most dangerous enemy here!" I ordered and the wyvern rider quickly finished off the enemy sword flier with partial injuries. Minerva flew towards the enemy team's backlines while Catria quickly took down the sword cavalier. The wind mage tried casting Rexcalibur at Sharena, but Alfonse cut the mage's head clean off before the wind blew.

"Let's make this quick!" Delthea fired another spiral of dark rings towards Sharena and Alfonse, this time in a horizontal path. Thinking quickly, Sharena shoved Alfonse aside and took the brunt of the Dark Aura blast by herself.

"Now Minerva!" I called and the wyvern rider rocketed down towards Delthea, axe raised. The lance flier tried to intercept, but Minerva's wyvern literally chomped the pegasus's head off, causing the rider to scream in shock.

"Finishing blow!" Catria's lance pierced the lance flier's throat and Minerva smashed Delthea's head clean in half with the Hauteclere.

"Well, Delthea wasn't lying about her magic" I noted, staring at the hole she made in the sluice gate "Sharena and Minerva, drink these. They'll help heal your wounds"

I dug into my supply/orb bag and gave two Vulneraries to Sharena and Minerva. Abel managed to find some in the market and bartered down the price. The reason he had to? Because these Vulneraries were apparently from the World of Holy War, where the herbs used to make them were three times as strong as the ones from other worlds.

"Yuck… I know what they say about medicine being the bitterer the better, but that Vulnerary was NOT pleasant" Sharena grumbled as she set down the empty clay bottle.

"This Vulnerary is definitely stronger than the ones back in Archanea. It feels magically blessed somehow" Minerva finished drinking the Vulnerary and examined her wounds. They closed almost instantly, only leaving dried blood over her skin "Definitely blessed. The same magic used in Elixir concoctions"

"Huh. These apparently came from the World of Holy War, so maybe they had some strong stuff there" I paused, cocking my ear behind me. I could hear the clopping of a horse coming towards us.

"You hear it too? Who could be-" Alfonse instantly turned, gripping his sword tight when the rider approached us. It was a tanned man wearing a mask with a tome emitting particles of frost, just like Delthea said. Prince Bruno.

"Well, well, well. How nice to see you again Bruno" I greeted the mage knight nonchalantly "Are you feeling less… insane this time?"

"Ugh... argh... Ha... Hee-hee... Hah!" Bruno groaned while clutching his head. Yep, he was still as crazy as before "Ha… You finally made it. Good. I'm tired of waiting! Alfonse, Sharena and Lucian, I'm going to gut you just like I did to Zacharias!"

"Come on then. It's four versus one. You can't win" Catria glared at the Emblian prince, who only sneered in response.

"I'm not insane. I only came here to intimidate you" Bruno did a hand gesture, conjuring a warp circle under his mount's feet that pushed us back "But I like games. I'll warp ahead and gather as many heroes as I can. Try to stop me before I stop you!"

And with that, Bruno vanished into thin air, with his laughter echoing through the empty sluice gate.

"Well, he issued his challenge. Let's move before he grabs too many for us to handle" I said and we passed through the sluice gate into Rigel territory. On the way, Sharena and Alfonse tapped my shoulder to talk privately. I excused myself from Catria to talk to the duo.

"What's up?" I asked. Sharena had a worried look on her face while Alfonse's was stern, but conflicted.

"What happened to Bruno? I doubt he acted this way in the invasion of Askr" Alfonse said "Was he like this when you first ventured to the World of Shadows, Lucian?"

"Yeah. I have a feeling he's starting to go a little crazy" I replied "Not only is his speech and mannerisms becoming increasingly unstable, he seems to remain in the World of Shadows. He's been here for so long that Veronica is sending forces here to bring him back"

"I wonder if Bruno can avoid the Emblian soldiers wandering around here. I guess he could, given his ability to warp" Sharena pursed her lips "Still, he always gives me this weird familiar feeling. Like I know him"

"You think he could be Zacharias? I mean, we DID try to call him using the sending stone and Bruno was the one who showed up" I theorized "Perhaps he has an ulterior motive to claim he killed Zacharias and took up a new alias"

"That's… really far fetched. Besides, if Bruno was Zacharais, then who was the one who threw the spear at Veronica in the World of Radiance?" Alfonse asked "You said that Zacharias was the one who threw a javelin to distract Veronica"

"That's true. As far as we know, Bruno doesn't know how to use lances" I bit my lip "I guess we'll find out once we corner and defeat him. For now, let's turn to the port town and see if anyone's seen him around"

We turned right on our path through the forest and ended up on the outskirts of the port city. Several rivers cut into the land, which were connected by several bridges. An axe fighter and a lance flier patrolled the outskirts alongside Saber, Sonya and a purple haired archer.

"Ugh… this is so boring! Those damnable Emblians sent Valbar to another location and left me to guard this desolate valley" The archer grumbled "Who are we even waiting for anyways?"

"Askrian troops. We'll know it's them if there is-" Sonya's eyes rested on us "...A boy wearing a white and gold robe. Just like the one right there"

"Finally. Stupid contract bound me here for hours" Saber drew a sword that looked near identical to the Killing Edge, except the hilt was blue "Good time to test this new Slaying Edge I found. Let's move, Sonya and Leon"

"We can't give Bruno more time than he should. Let's clean these up quickly and move on" I decided "Alfonse and Sharena, charge ahead to take down Leon and the axe fighter. Catria and Minerva, take Sonya and Saber. Watch out for her dangerous wind magic. Go!"

Alfonse and Sharena took the bridge closest to us, heading straight towards Leon and the axe fighter. The enemy pair did a similar approach, but with the axe fighter protecting Leon while he prepared to fire. The lance flier flew over to flank Alfonse and Sharena on their left.

"Minerva, leave Saber to Catria and move to assist Alfonse and Sharena. Prioritize Leon and then the lance flier" I called and the wyvern rider parried Saber's sword, headbutting the mercenary with her wyvern's head before changing course. Leon aimed his Slaying Bow at Minerva, but Sharena stabbed him in the waist while Alfonse handled the axe fighter.

"Hands off!" Leon elbowed Sharena in the face before headbutting her, forcing the Fensalir out of the archer. However, he couldn't nock an arrow before Alfonse cut Leon down with a Death Blow-boosted strike. The lance flier rocketed towards the Askrian prince with her Silver Lance, but Minerva had other ideas.

"Make peace with your gods!" Minerva's Hauteclere grew scales and dragon horns as she smashed the lance flier into roadkill with Draconic Aura. Both pegasus and rider fell into a nearby river, mutilated to oblivion. Meanwhile, Catria easily finished off Saber and flew back to avoid Sonya's Dark Excalibur.

"This won't be easy. Sonya has massive range thanks to her weapon, so getting someone in safely will be tough" I stroked my chin in thought "Catria and Minerva, circle Sonya to confuse her targeting. Her spells can only be fired in vertical gales and not spread out"

My two fliers rushed into action, kicking their mounts into high speed as Sonya blasted more waves of purple winds. They managed to get in a good position and circled the mage like vultures, making it near impossible to hit either of them.

"Stand still you…!" Sonya balled her hand into a fist as a crescent moon blazed above her "Moonbow!"

The crescent gale flew towards Catria, who simply flew upwards to avoid it. However, the gale also sliced several trees in half and actually lifted them up. One of the trees unexpectedly smacked Catria's pegasus in the head, making it stagger dizzily.

"Now's the chance!" Sonya began to cast Dark Excalibur, but she forgot about Minerva. The wyvern rider split the mage's skull with her axe and ended the battle.

"Alright. Let's continue moving" I fished through my supply bag for more healing items "I have some Archanean Vulneraries here for minor injuries. We don't have a ton of Judgrali Vulneraries on tap"

I handed one each to my four heroes as we continued past the valley and followed the road into the desert kingdom of Rigel. I vaguely remembered the Valentian map, but I don't recall the desert kingdom being after the sluice gate. That was odd…

"Catria, mind if I hop onto your pegasus for a quick look in the sky? I just want to check something" I asked and Catria nodded, helping me onto her pegasus before rising into the air, giving me a large view of the Valentian land.

"Something wrong?" The Whitewing asked and I put my hand over my forehead to block out the sun, scanning the land.

"Yeah… we were at the sluice gate before we tackled Sonya's group in the valley outside the port town" I said "But looking at this view, the sluice gate is at the border of the desert kingdom. Realistically, we should of been at Zofia Castle before fighting Sonya and her posse"

"Lucian, you're the summoner of a magical realm who can pull heroes of ancient legend out of that 'gun' of yours" Catria replied dryly "And the weirdest part to you is the geography? I'm sure you experienced similar scenarios before"

"Eh heh… I guess you're right. Just felt a bit… nitpicky today" I shrugged and wrapped my arms around Catria's waist "It's not like I wanted to be alone in the sky with you for a little bit"

"Maybe I should remind you that my pegasus is sentient as well" Catria said slyly and the pegasus neighed in response "But thanks for being honest and… comforting with your touch. Shall we descend?"

I let go "R-right. Sorry. I guess now wasn't the best time"

"They'll be plenty of time for us when we get back. Don't you worry" The Whitewing smiled as he descended back to ground level. I explained to Alfonse and Sharena that I simply wanted a view over the land, but Minerva's amused expression told me she saw and heard everything.

"While you two were in the air, I scouted the next location inhabited by Emblian troops and Valentian heroes" Minerva said to break the awkward air "Up ahead, we'll cross into the desert and find a small fortress. There are four Valentian heroes and one Emblian archer"

"Thanks Minerva. Me and Catria were a little… enamored with the landscape to notice" I smiled at the wyvern rider and focused ahead. Just as Minerva said, the dirt path beneath us slowly shifted to sand as the desert came into full view. I guess the invasion of both Askr and Embla warped the world around us, which was why we transitioned across the continent so fast.

"Good grief… this heat is unbearable…" Gray grumbled as he leaned against a fortress wall. He popped open a waterskin and took a guzzle of water "Any idea when they 'Askrians' are going to show up?"

"I'll go scout. The messenger said that the Askrians defeated Sonya's squad at the port town, so they should be heading our way now" A blonde paladin named Mathilda said "Let me take a look"

The cavalier rode out of the fortress, peering through the vast desert wasteland. The glare of the sun made it hard to see, but she could make out several figures walking towards them. One pegasus knight and wyvern rider. Just like the messenger reported.

"They're here. Get ready to fight everyone" Mathilda picked up her Ridersbane that was leaning on the fortress wall "We should use the fortress to our advantage and force the Askrians to funnel through the tight entrance"

"Sound plan Mathilda. Gray and Tobin, hold the front and keep the enemy busy. Me and Mathilda will flank from both left and right to catch them in a pincer attack" Clive told the two villagers as he armed himself with a Silver Lance. He took one last look outside the fort "Looks like they're here. Time to fight"

"Are you feeling alright, Clive?" Mathilda whispered to her lover "Your illness is getting gradually getting worse day by day. You're losing strength"

"I can last long enough to break this contract and find a doctor. Don't worry Mathilda" Clive assured the paladin "As long as you're by my side, I'll never lose. Not again, at any rate"

"Hey! You two are the squad commanders, right? You forgot about me" An Emblian archer interrupted the two "What do I do?"

"Uhm… stand behind Gray and fire arrows through the window to disrupt the Askrian force. Try to snipe down their two fliers" Clive ordered and the archer ran off "We'll talk later Mathilda. We need to start fighting"

"Right beside you"

We arrived at the desert fortress, another location where we fought in the Tempest. Inside the barricade were Gray, Tobin, Clive, an Emblian archer and an unknown, beautiful and blonde paladin. It was going to be hard to penetrate this fort without being swarmed by foes, especially since Alfonse and Sharena were our only forms of ground combat.

"We need to find a way to get through their defense" I looked the fort up and down. No way in except for the entrance "A shame we didn't bring any mages. We could of bombed the fort with magic from a distance"

"There might be cracks in the walls we can capitalize on to open up another path for us" Alfonse suggested "I already see one next to the entrance"

The prince pointed to the right side of the fort's entry gate. Several cracks and chinks were lining the sandstone wall and was also partially barricaded by wood. Sloppy barricading though.

"Let's try that one. Minerva reported that an archer is inside, so Sharena will guard us with her shield while Alfonse knocks down the wall. Once it's broken, we'll rush in and take the defenders by storm" I said "They'll probably be dazed by the dust of the fallen wall, so we'll use that to our advantage"

I turned to our two fliers "Catria and Minerva. Remain a little above the fortress and be ready to swoop in once Alfonse knocks down the wall. Surprise attack the archer"

"Got it" Catria nodded and she shot into the sky, along with Minerva. Meanwhile, Alfonse made his way to the cracked wall with Sharena guarding him. The first arrow flew and it bounced off Sharena's shield, rousing the enemy troops.

"The Askrians have arrived. Take your positions everyone" Clive ordered and I heard shuffling as the Valentian heroes got ready to fight. Another arrow sailed over Sharena's head and she ducked under her shield while Alfonse continued hacking at the wall.

"Hey… they're chipping away at the cracked wall here. We should get out there while they're distracted" Tobin pointed out, but Mathilda held him back.

"Not yet. I don't see any of their fliers, so they must be above the fort. Going out into the open will leave you open to ambush" Mathilda replied "Wait for the wall to fall and we'll take out the Askrians all at once"

Meanwhile, Alfonse slammed his Folkvangr one more time into the damaged wall, cracking it to pieces and sending it falling into the fortress. The crash kicked up a cloud of sand and dust, blinding the Valentian heroes.

"Now!" I called and my two fliers swooped down into the expanded entry, buffeting the enemy with gusts of wind from their wings. Catria stabbed Gray in the face while her pegasus slammed it's hoove into the Emblian archer's neck, snapping it. Sharena and Alfonse double teamed Tobin while Minerva flew overhead, annihilating Mathilda in one blow.

"Here I go!" Catria parried Clive's lance thrust, her pegasus knocking the weapon out of the cavalier's hands. Catria followed up by running Clive through his throat, ending him instantly. With the fortress cleared, I sent Minerva up to scout our next destination.

"Great job everyone. Everything worked just as planned" I grinned "In fact, I don't think anyone has taken a single injury this battle"

"Tobin got a lucky hit on me before he went down, but it's nothing serious" Alfonse assured, taking a quick swig of the Vulnerary I passed to him "Two of the Valentian heroes had weapons I've never seen before. Do you have any idea what they were?"

"The lance that blonde paladin had looked very similar to one in my world. It was called the Ridersbane" Catria explained "It was a lance made especially to slay cavalry. I believe that's what she wielded"

"And I fought alongside Gray in the first Tempest here. His sword's called the Zanbato" I said "Like the Ridersbane, it's a longsword that was made to slay cavalry"

"Does that mean we'll get the axe version of it soon?" Sharena turned to Catria "Do you have any of those in your world?"

"Yes actually. It's called the Poleaxe" The Whitewing replied "Also known as the Halberd. Commander Minerva was quite fond of it during the War of Shadows"

"Because god forbid does Grust, Gra and Dolhr not deploy anything but mountains of cavaliers" Minerva said as she descended down from the air "Our next battlefield is just left of us. There appears to be a temple atop a hill, crawling with enemies at the entrance"

"That must be the Temple of Mila I fought at in the Tempest" I nodded "Alright then. Let's move out everyone"

A trail led from the desert fortress straight towards the Temple of Mila, letting us avoid the devilishly burning sand under our feet. Atop the hill at the temple's entrance housed Sonya, Leon and Saber, alongside a red mage knight and a lance flier. Now that we had fliers on our side, we could employ a different strategy than the one in the Tempest

"Catria, fly up to the temple's main entrance and take on Saber, the lance flier and the red mage knight. Minerva, support her with Goad Fliers and assist in fighting if they're distracted" I ordered "Leon and Sonya will either hold their position inside the temple or come reinforce the entrance, so clean up the enemies quickly"

"What about us?" Alfonse asked and I turned to the duo as my fliers dashed off.

"Remain here for now. Charging up the hill will only result in Leon and Sonya blasting you down. Wait for Catria and Minerva to draw their attention before running in to engage them" I decided "For now, we wait"

I watched our two fliers race towards the temple's main entrance, catching the enemy by surprise. I suppose they got lazy after being defeated the first time. Minerva easily sent the lance flier spiraling to the ground while Catria dueled with Saber, the pegasus knight having a significant advantage.

"Minerva, pull back! Avoid the red mage knight!" I called and the wyvern rider backed up as the mage knight galloped forward, chanting the incantation for Bolganone. Beneath Minerva, the ground rumbled and erupted into a spire of flame, but luckily, Bolganone was best used against grounded units. It was near useless against fliers.

"You poor fool…" Noticing the mage knight's astonished expression, Minerva rocketed down and sliced his head clean off while Catria finished off Saber. Just as I predicted, Leon and Sonya dashed towards the fliers to try and strike them down.

"Pull back Catria and Minerva! Lure them down the hill towards us!" I commanded and the two fliers descended down to our position. I sent Alfonse and Sharena up the hill while our two enemies were occupied.

"Good afternoon!" Sharena slammed into Leon with her shield, dislocating the archer's shoulder and forcing him to drop his bow. The lancer followed up by stabbing Leon in the stomach before ripping upwards, slaying the Valentian. Meanwhile, a single strike from Alfonse was all that was needed to kill Sonya.

"There isn't any trail here that leads anywhere else. I believe our next fight is inside the temple" Minerva told me.

"Should be. The second to last stage of the Tempest was in the temple's inner sanctum" I began to hike up the hill while Catria and Minerva zoomed up with their mounts "We should find Bruno down there. Something tells me this is the final battle before we rout Embla out of here"

"Hey Lucian! There's a staircase that leads deeper into the temple!" Sharena called "Should we go down?"

"Yes. Don't engage any enemies you see until I'm there. Unless they attack you" I nodded and the duo descended the stairs. Whoever made this clearly catered to fliers as well, since Minerva and Catria were able to go down with their mounts. I was the last to move into the temple's basement and just like I thought, Bruno was there along with five Valentian heroes.

"Heh heh heh… it's time, spawn of Askr. Our little game begins now" Bruno grinned darkly "You survived the trials here well, but now… now it's time for everything to end!"

"You weren't like this when Embla invaded Askr. What happened to you?" I demanded "What happened to Zacharias?"

"Heh... You... want to know what... I did?" Bruno replied in a strained voice "Take... a look... and then... ask me again…"

Bruno snapped his fingers and his tome glowed, pulsing with icy air to condense a weapon in his hands. He tossed the spear on the ground indifferently, which caused Alfonse and Sharena to gasp.

"That's… that's Zacharias's lance!" Alfonse realized "What did you do to him?!"

"I took his life. He peered into places he shouldn't have and brought one of Embla's darkest secrets to light" Bruno balled his hand into a fist as a sadistic smile marked his face "He was so very sad and pathetic when he couldn't save himself from me. He begged for his life. He called out your names. He said that he'll do anything for me as long as he lived. Of course, such a coward didn't deserve to be at my side"

"Zacharias… no…" Sharena sniffled, gripping her lance tightly in both sadness and anger.

"You… you murderer!" Alfonse took the vengeful route, gripping the Folkvangr so tightly that his knuckles went white "I'll kill you for what you did to Zacharias. I'll cut all your limbs from your crippled body piece by piece so you can savor the pain!"

"Alfonse, calm down! This isn't like you!" I growled "Stop it. Don't let anger rule your actions. You're just making yourself an easier target for Bruno"

"Oh no, Lucian. Let Alfonse show his feelings here… with his blade! You'll be seeing Zacharias soon enough if you do!" Bruno's horse stamped it's hooves on the ground "Enough talk. We fight!"

"Everyone, stay on the defensive tiles and don't let the enemy heroes seize them. They'll give us a big advantage in the battle!" I commanded as Bruno's troops all rushed towards us, zerg rush style. I quickly sent Alfonse and Minerva to the left to fight Sonya and Clive while Catria and Sharena dealt with Tobin and Mathilda. Bruno and Gray had to be covered later.

"Ha ha! Foolish Lucian!" Bruno rode over with surprising speed, taking cover behind a temple pillar to cast Valaskjalf at Catria. A spiky permafrost appeared under the pegasus knight, stabbing her with magical icicles. The attack also broke Catria's Killer Lance temporarily, indicating the usage of Lancebreaker. A series of explosions rocked the ground as well, flinching Sharena. He had Savage Blow too? Bruno wasn't messing around.

"Catria, pull back and wait for your lance to recover. Sharena, engage Mathilda and Tobin on the defensive tile and Minerva, get over here to kill Bruno!" I called. This situation was quickly getting out of hand however. Sonya's Dark Excalibur ripped into Alfonse hard and Clive's strikes were sure and strong. I wasn't sure how long he could last.

"Let me through!" Alfonse's Folkvangr blazed with Bonfire's flames and he smashed Clive to bits. An angry red aura pulsed from the Folkvangr as well, courtesy of it's built-in Defiant Attack. The prince quickly rushed over to strike Sonya, but the mage backed up to dodge. Fortunately, Catria's lance recovered at the right moment and she swooped in to stab Sonya in the back, letting Alfonse finish her off.

"No more of this!" Bruno's Valaskjalf pulsed with electricity before erupting in a vertical line of lightning, electrocuting Catria and Alfonse hard. The mage knight followed up by impaling the weakened Catria through with an icicle, dissolving her into feathers.

"Minerva, hurry up and finish Bruno off!" I yelled as Bruno prepared to attack Alfonse, who was staggering away to the defensive tiles. The wyvern rider swooped overhead and dragon horns sprouted from the Hauteclere, indicating Draconic Aura.

"I will end this swiftly!" Minerva body slammed Bruno with her axe, smashing the mage knight to the ground as Valaskjalf flew through the air. I quickly snatched it as Sharena finished off Tobin and Mathilda. With the battle done, we all gathered around Bruno's mangled body.

"Do it. Kill me Alfonse" Bruno groaned with an insistent tone "Do it now. I told you before... You'll regret it if you don't"

"Tell me one last time Bruno. Did you really kill Zacharias?" Alfonse asked, raising his bloody sword to Bruno's neck. Alfonse's body was worn and torn by gashes, cuts and scratches, but his voice was still steady and strong.

"Hah! This again? Yes! I killed him!" Bruno snarled "And I promised you and your sister will suffer the same fate. But I failed…"

"Very well. The time to avenge my friend... has come" Alfonse raised his blade to strike when I grabbed his wrist suddenly "What?! Lucian, what is it?"

"Hold on. Before we kill him, let's take off his mask. Let's see who he really is" I insisted. Alfonse opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off "Hear me out. The first time we came to the World of Shadows, we completed the sending stone rite. We didn't hear Zacharias, so we assumed he was dead. However, there's another possibility. One person in particular responded to us after the rite"

"No… you don't mean that…" Sharena's eyes went wide "Are you saying that Bruno is Zacharias?!"

"Let's confirm it with the man himself" I turned to Bruno "Tell it to me straight, Prince Bruno of the Emblian Empire. Are you Zacharias? If you refuse to answer, I'll rip your mask right off your face and let Alfonse and Sharena see for themselves"

"No… I can't explain now. Too little time" Bruno pounded the ground with his fist, erecting a warp circle beneath him "This is what happens when you show your enemy mercy, Lucian. But I am not your foe anymore. I need to… I need to find the solution before it's too late!"

"Zacharias! WAIT!" Alfonse cried, but the mage knight and his horse already vanished into thin air.

"So that was it all along. Zacharias is Bruno" I said to break the tension "And he's afflicted by some sort of condition that forces him to fight us. Maybe he's cursed?"

"We'll… we'll ponder over it next time. I'm too tired to think now" Alfonse shook his hand "Pass me a Judgrali Vulnerary, will you Lucian?"

"Sure. Here you go" I dug into my supply bag and handed the prince the medicinal drink "Well, it's a dead end here. Looks like our expedition is over"

"Let's head home then. We need to report this information to Commander Anna" Sharena said, audible traces of confusion and sorrow in her voice "Lucian, if you please…"

"Right" I unhooked the Breidablik from my belt and clicked the trigger, opening a portal back into Askr. Once we arrived back, Katarina and Robin immediately greeted me at the lobby.

"Minerva, go get some rest. Alfonse and Sharena, relay today's events and revelations to Anna" I said before facing Katarina and Robin in front of me "So what's up?"

"Two summoning banners arrived in the mail while you were gone" Katarina handed me two postcards. One was titled "Alm's Army" which featured Delthea, Mathilda and Gray while the second was called "Celica's Army", featuring Saber, Sonya and Leon. I had a fairly high supply of orbs, so I wouldn't mind dropping a few for Sonya and Saber.

"Thank you. Anything else?" I asked and Robin handed me some sort of research paper written by Robinne. It was titled "Heroes and Skill Bracelets"

"Skill Bracelets? What the heck is that?" I asked and Robin tapped his right wrist to reveal a silver armband that had three holes drilled in. The three holes were filled with pins that had Robin's skills imaged on top.

"I'll be brief since my sister details the rest in her paper. Basically, skill bracelets are invisible and intangible bands that every hero has. It's an easy way to check skills and whatnot" The tactician explained "The three holes represent the A offensive skill, B combat skill and C supportive skill. A skill's power is condensed into these pins which can be placed in a skill bracelet to grant the hero it's effects"

"Interesting. So I'm assuming the new way of skill inheritance is to take off a pin, hand it to another hero and then go home?" I watched Katarina tap her own wrist to will her skill bracelet to existence "That definitely makes things simpler"

"For the most part, yes. Anyways, I said I'll be brief, so you can read the rest in Robinne's essay" Robin tapped the papers in my hand "Me and Katarina will be out enjoying the summer festival. See you at dinner!"

And the two tacticians left. I decided to hold off on summoning and reading Robinne's paper for now. I was way too tired from all the battles today. A shame I couldn't get to the archery range either, but that's limits for you. I went up to my room and tossed Robinne's research onto my desk before collapsing on my bed and taking a nap.

 **A Tactician's Gift:** Robin and Katarina's A support

"Whoa… I've never seen so many people bustling around before" Katarina marveled when she and Robin arrived in the castle town. Dozens of tents and shops were set up, selling food, merchandise, trinkets and anything else you can imagine. The main stage was populated by dancers from all over Askr, as well as Olivia. Even some of the order's resident musicians like Priscilla and Lachesis got into it, playing harmonious tunes for everyone around.

"Yep. That's festivals for you. A time of gathering for everyone to celebrate and have fun" Robin had a distant look in his eyes "Ah, that brings back good memories of all the festivals with the Shepherds. I remember trying out food from all corners of the world as well as finding rare tomes you can't find anywhere else"

"That sounds incredible. I don't even know where to start here…" Katarina looked around like an excited puppy "Maybe let's-"

"Wait hold on. I haven't seen this shop before" Robin took Katarina's hand and led her down to a shop manned by Anna.

"Hey Commander Anna. Weren't you talking with Alfonse and Sharena back in the castle?" Robin asked and Anna appeared confused, staring at the grand castle in the distance.

"Oh no, I'm not the 'Commander' Anna you're talking about. I'm another Anna. I travel across all the realms to sell my merchandise!" Anna explained "So what are you two interested in? I can assure you a good deal just for being heroes"

"I was interested in the skill pins you have over there" Robin pointed to a glass case lined with dozens of skill pins, ranging from Fury to obscure ones like Close Defense and Earth Boost "How much for one pin?"

"Oh these? They typically fluctuate in price depending on how valuable the skill is, but it can range from 1000-10000 gold" Anna replied "10000 is for the top-of-the-line skills like Distant and Close Counter"

"I see. That makes sense" Robin nudged Katarina "What would you like?"

"Hmm… that Resistance Ploy pin looks appealing. The Desperation one as well" Katarina replied "But I don't think I can afford both of them…"

"Don't worry. I can pay for one and you'll pay for the other" Robin took out his wallet from one of his coat pockets. Heroes who often fight or do other tasks within the order are given a weekly salary to spend in the market such as this. Due to being one of the strategists, Robin and Katarina have accumulated a decent sum of money.

"So the Resistance Ploy and Desperation skill pin? That'll be 9000 gold total" Anna unlocked the glass display case, gently plucking out both pins while Robin and Katarina pooled their money. The investment nearly drained both of them of cash.

"Robin, I didn't think this would cut out expenses so low. Now there isn't enough to buy yourself one" Katarina said worriedly to Robin as the two moved away from the stall. Robin simply smiled and activated Katarina's skill bracelet, sliding in the two new pins himself.

"No need to worry Katty. Lucian already supplied me with the necessary skills" Robin opened his own bracelet, showing Triangle Adept, Quick Riposte and Hone Speed "I don't need more than this. Besides, I like showing my affection through gifts sometimes"

"Robin you're… you're so sweet" Katarina blushed "S-so… let me treat you for a bite to eat then. It's the least I can do to repay you"

"Fine by me. Lead the way, my dear"

The two spent the rest of the day at the festival, eventually burning the rest of their money on food. They settled down at the main stage, watching the dancers perform. Among the audience, Robin even spotted Lucian and Catria.

"You know... do you think Lucian will send us all home once the war with Embla is over?" Katarina asked.

"Probably not. I'm sure there's more on the horizon than just Embla. As long as Lucian is here, us heroes will be needed" Robin replied, wrapping his arm behind Katarina's neck "So I wouldn't worry about having to leave"

"That's good. I've gotten so comfortable here that going home sounds like a fever dream" The tactician rested her head on Robin's shoulder "I've made so many new friends and learned so much here. Robinne, Jeorge, Lucian, Nino and of course, you"

"I feel the same. I've learned and experienced things here that I'll never be able to comprehend back home" Robin smiled "And now that my duties as the only tactician are lifted, I can focus on other matters"

"Like?"

"Like this" Robin leaned down and kissed Katarina on the lips briefly, moving away before too many people noticed "You"

"Robin..." Katarina was at a loss for words "This may sound a bit... immodest but I..."

"Shh. No need to say more. I can guess it" Robin smiled lightly at the fire mage "You want more of that when we're alone"

Katarina simply nodded, blush marking her face and Robin grinned, satisfied.

"Your wish is my command"

 **Phew. This ended up much longer than expected. The whole skill bracelet concept came from a Reddit post about Heroes headcanons and I liked it so much that I'm adopting it for the story. Other than that, the Book I story actually goes somewhere beyond "Embla has invaded x world and we have to liberate it" so that's something. Coming up next is the Nohrian Summer paralogue. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to leave constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time, fellow summoners!**


	41. Paralogue 9: Nohrian Summer

A Summoner's Journey

Paralogue 9: Nohrian Summer

 _Team for this chapter: Ike, Sonya, Camus and Cecilia_

I managed to get my two new five star heroes trained up just before Caeda flew over to the training tower, alerting me of another Emblian invasion.

"Don't they have better things to do than constantly invade other worlds?" I groaned as I dismissed Caeda and called back Sonya and Ike. Yesterday's session was quite fruitful if I say so myself. I managed to snag Sonya and got Ike while trying to pull Saber. Not a bad trade to be honest.

"What's the matter Lucian?" Ike asked when he came back to me. His legendary sword, the Ragnell was soaked in blood, metal scraps and wood shavings, but it didn't look dulled in the slightest.

"Another invasion by Embla. We're going to have to leave to attend to it" I replayed Caeda's message in my head "Apparently, they've attacked the World of Conquest during their summer festival"

"So that means we'll be fighting heroes in swimsuits" Sonya guessed "Or at least the ones who dressed for the weather"

"Exactly. So we should head back right away" We exited the sky-high training tower and took a warp panel back to base, where I called Camus and Cecilia to join us in the liberation. I decided to give our regulars (Katarina, Robin, Robinne, Catria and Minerva) a break since I've been using them far too often lately. They needed breaks and free time for themselves.

"Okay, now that everyone's here, I just need to double check if everyone has the right skills" I said and gestured with my hand to mentally activate everyone's skill bracelets. Robinne taught me the trick last night. Pretty handy.

"Ike had his Ragnell obviously along with Reposition, Aether, Heavy Blade, Vantage and Hone Attack" I murmured and shut off Ike's bracelet "Sonya had her Dark Excalibur, Draw Back, Moonbow, Mirror Strike, Green Tomebreaker and Res Ploy"

As I shut off Sonya's armband, I turned to Camus and Cecilia "Camus has the Gradivus, Reposition, Bonfire, Fury, Vantage and Hone Cavalry while Cecilia has her Gronnraven, Draw Back, Moonbow, Triangle Adept, Bowbreaker and Hone Cavalry"

I nodded "Okay, everyone's ready to go. To the World of Conquest!"

We leaped through the swirling portal and arrived on a mundane beach somewhere in Nohr. I didn't think Nohr could have a place as lavish as this, but here it was. Palm trees, golden and sparkly sand, many seashells scattered about and a calm sea nearby. If I didn't know any better, I would think we were back in the World of Awakening.

"Commander Anna… what's the point of this?" I heard Alfonse's voice from behind a bush "We've been waiting here for an hour. They aren't coming"

"Have more patience Alfonse. I'm sure they'll be here soon. After all, there is no better beach here in Nohr!" Anna replied. Alfonse opened his mouth to reply, but Anna cut him off "Shh. I hear talking"

Anna peeked her head over the bush excitingly and then slumped with disappointment "Oh, Lucian. What are you doing here? I thought you were at the tower"

"Caeda sent me a message saying that Embla has invaded this world. I came to liberate it like usual" I replied "What about you? What are you doing here?"

"Well, I wanted to test out this new tome I invented-"

"She wants to take pictures of the swimsuit-clad heroes to sell them and make money. She negotiated a deal with the Anna here" Alfonse interrupted "Believe me Lucian. I tried to hold her back"

"You're making it sound like it's a bad thing" Anna pouted "We need the money to pay the regulars and strategists their salaries! Plus, I have a bunch of other ideas to improve the castle as well"

"And I'm guessing Rebecca and Clarisse selling game and fur wasn't enough?" Alfonse groaned "Along with some of our heroes doing top-of-the-line mercenary work?"

"Nope. We need more" Anna shook her head "Which is why I have this new and improved camera tome. Now it can capture moving images and I heard that Nohrian royalty are prowling the beaches now. Prime opportunity!"

"Well, if neither of you minded my eavesdropping, it sounds like you've been here for a while" I said "And none of these Nohrian royals showed up here. They must be elsewhere"

"That's impossible. This is one of the only good beaches in Nohr. Have you seen this place, Lucian?" Anna gestured around herself "Outside of here, the landscape is like a dumpster fire!"

"They could of been battling Emblian forces on the way here" Cecilia suggested "That's why they haven't shown up yet"

"That's possible. Which means we should wait a litt-" Anna's eyes perked up and she squinted past me "Oh I see four figures ahead! I need to double check that this thing's still working…"

"We won tickets to this tropical island, but those Emblians showed up at the wrong time" Corrin slumped sadly "Sorry Elise. This contract thing is interrupting our vacation and forcing us to fight"

"Aww, it's okay! As long as we do what the contract says, we'll be free!" Elise grinned cheerfully "So all we have to do is beat those Askrians and then we can play!"

"Right. After we defeat the Askrians, we can find Xander and Leo as well" Corrin nodded, then looked ahead "Looks like we found them. Ready Elise?"

"Ready!"

"There looks to be an Emblian sword flier and archer along with Summer Corrin and Elise" I said, staring at their stat screens "Corrin's a thunder mage flier and Elise is a wind mage. Ike, handle the archer and Elise with the Ragnell. Camus and Cecilia, take on the sword flier and Corrin. Sonya, assist Ike. Go!"

The battle ensued and Ike took on Elise and the archer handily, taking Brave Bow arrows like a champ while Sonya countered Elise's magic. Streaked in purple light, Ike swung his Ragnell forward, propelling a shockwave that busted the archer into the sand. Elise whipped up a tornado of wind magic towards the mercenary, but Sonya's Dark Excalibur clashed and cancelled it out.

"Run while you can!" Ike's pulsed with the blue light of Aether briefly before sending two shockwaves roaring through the sand. One of them struck Elise and she crumbled to the ground instantly while another smashed into the sword flier, mortally wounding her.

"Cecilia, strike down Corrin!" I called and the mage let loose a swarm of green avians all over the battlefield, peppering Corrin and the sword flier in deadly wind magic. Corrin staggered back on her mount from the attack, but the sword flier powered through and raised her Armorslayer over Cecilia's head. That's when Camus came in to parry the blade and impale the flier through with his Gradivus.

"Sonya, shield Ike from Corrin!" I commanded when I noticed Corrin recovering and beginning to fly towards Ike. She opened her tome and thrust her hand forward, calling an intense tunnel of water filled with tropical fish to rush over Sonya and Ike.

"You shouldn't have tempted me!" With a yell, Sonya projected a swirling sphere of purple wind around herself and Ike, cleanly slicing Corrin's water spell away from them. When the water rush ended, Sonya sent a spiraling tornado towards Corrin's bewildered face and sent her flying into the ocean, ending the fight.

"Okay, I managed to get some photos" Anna stared at the multiple images projected over the pages of her tome "But they're all pictures of you fighting the Nohrians! Why couldn't you hold still for even a second?"

"Well, I'm sorry we couldn't pause for a photo in the middle of combat" I shrugged, then peered over the horizon of the ocean "You said that this was the only good beach in Nohr, right?"

"That was a bit of a lie. There's one more beach nearby that's suitable" Anna followed my gaze "And looks like the ferry's coming back just in time. We can board the boat and sail to the next island. Hopefully some good Nohrian royals are going about there!"

"Why did I even bother coming along…?" Alfonse grumbled, then drew his sword "But since you're fighting the Nohrians, I might as well help out. It'll give me something else to do besides watching over Anna"

"Rude!"

"I appreciate your help Alfonse. Especially since we didn't bring a healer with us" I glanced over to our team resting in the sand or sitting on rocks "We expect this to be a short expedition, so we didn't feel that a medic was needed"

"You would be right. I sent a spy to gather information as usual here and there isn't a strong Emblian presence here. Freeing the heroes from their contracts shouldn't take too long" Alfonse nodded "Anyways, let's get on the boat and move to the next island. I doubt any of the royals are lurking around here anymore"

We made our way out of the beach and headed towards the docks. Anna was right. Outside of the beach, Nohr wasn't exactly what I'd call a stable and prospering country. The streets and shops were all deserted and empty and every building was scratched with graffiti of all kinds. Trash cans were lit on fire and the only sounds I heard were sounds of gangs yelling and fighting.

"How could anyone live in this place?" I asked Alfonse. Seeing as I had nobody from Fateslandia to tell me, he was the best choice "This is exactly how Anna described it: a dumpster fire"

"Corrin and Corrina like to do storytelling with the kids in the Order like Fae, Nino, Nowi and others" Alfonse explained. I guess Corrin was male Corrin and Corrina was female Corrin. Similar to Robin and Robinne "Funnily enough, they even described their own stories using sock puppets"

"So that was what the theatre was used for. I thought it was just Odin's private quarters at this point" I smirked "But anyways, go on"

"I attended their storytelling one day just to hear what the books didn't tell me. Apparently, Corrin sided with Hoshido in his timeline while Corrina sided with Nohr in hers" The prince continued as we walked through the desolate streets "In Corrin's adventure, he led the Hoshidan army deeper into Nohr, straight to the capital city. After defeating a band of outlaws, Corrin's army was led into an underground city, which was where the real Nohrian life was"

"Interesting. So you're saying that there's an underground city right below our feet?" Ike tapped his boot against the stone paving "No wonder there isn't anyone above ground. The gangs and outlaws would scare all the civilians away"

"That's right. The leader of the outlaws, Shura, stated that only idiots, foreign representatives and protected nobles roam Nohr above ground" Alfonse continued "Otherwise, they risk being attacked by the gangs or Nohrian patrol guards"

"That reminds me of a certain country in my world. North freaking Korea" I said as we boarded the ship "I could tell you guys more about it if you'd like"

"I'm all ears. After all, it seems like a decent distance between here and the island" Alfonse scanned the horizon "And I'm interested to learn more about your world Lucian"

"I'm afraid your storytelling's going to have to wait because we have enemies aboard" Sonya interrupted "A couple of raiders wearing swimsuits"

I looked past Sonya and saw that Xander and Leo were on the deck along with an axe knight. An Emblian lance flier soared nearby the vessel as well, prepared to attack. I sent Ike and Alfonse to deal with the axe knight and Summer Xander while Sonya, Camus and Cecilia fought the lance fleir and Leo.

"Are you seriously fighting me with a beach toy?" Xander's Lilith Floatie clashed surprisingly hard with Ike's Ragnell, but it was nothing that the mercenary hasn't handled before. Ike charged in and bashed into Xander with his shoulder before stamping on his saddled foot.

"I really should of brought my armor…!" Xander fell back, letting Leo open his tome and cast a windstorm of tomatoes towards Ike and Alfonse's direction. In midair, the tomatoes caught fire and crashed like meteors on the ship deck, wounding the swordsmen badly. Seal Resistance was branded on their bodies as well, melting any further resistance. Xander took advantage of the duo's stun and rushed back into the fray.

"Not today!" Alfonse's Folkvangr burned with the flaming light of Defiant Attack, increasing his power tenfold. Xander didn't stand a chance, quickly getting thrown overboard with dozens of brutal slash wounds. Leo was about to call another storm of tomatoes, but Ike threw a shockwave that tore the prince in half, ending the mage. Meanwhile, Camus, Cecilia and Sonya finished off the Emblians and our boat journey continued.

"Argh! Again, I can't get good photos before you guys start fighting! I need a faster camera tome…" Anna grumbled "All I got was two shots when Xander and Leo revealed themselves and even then, it was covered by crates!"

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go check the rest of the ship in case of any stragglers" Cecilia excused herself along with Camus. Understandable, since nobody really wanted to deal with Anna's tantrum. I left Alfonse to handle Anna and headed to the stern, where the island was quickly coming into close view.

"How are your wounds Ike?" I asked. The mercenary leaned the Ragnell against the railing before crossing his arms, looking over the stern distantly "Ike?"

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking a bit. About my world" Ike replied, not taking his look off the horizon "Now that I'm here, what happens to my world? Are things going differently without me?"

"Rest assured, nothing has changed since you've arrived. You see, whenever I summon a hero, a replacement reappears in their world after an hour or two to continue the timeline" I explained "So by now, a new Ike should of appeared in your world to continue your story. Was that clear enough?"

"It's a little confusing, but I'll take your word for it" Ike shrugged "This world just feels so alien to me that I'm getting paranoid. It would be nice to see some familiar faces soon"

"I'll try my best. Summoning is incredibly random though, so I can't guarantee anything" I replied. I couldn't mention to Ike that his world's summoning banner burnt up a week ago "One day though, someone from the World of Radiance will join you"

"Hope so" Ike picked up his sword and mounted it on his shoulder "The coast line's getting close. We should be prepared to move"

"Right" I turned behind me as Ike went to the gangplank "Camus, Sonya, Alfonse and Cecilia! Get ready to move out! We've arrived at the island"

The ship's captain, who was apparently indifferent and unalarmed to us foreign "invaders", lowered the gangplank to the island. The shore was a cracked piece of rock, littered with defensive tiles and crumbling walls like this used to be a fortress.

"Any of you spot enemy troops?" I asked Camus and Cecilia. The two cavaliers squinted and cocked their heads upwards for a better view.

"A wind mage and a half-naked axe fighter are directly across from us" Cecilia replied "And I believe I spot a wyvern flying in from the north"

"That should be Summer Elise, Xander and Corrin then" I nodded "Summer Leo should be deeper inside the fort"

"What's your plan Lucian? The enemy is going to remain cooped up in the fort, waiting to ambush us" Ike said "We could bust down the walls and catch them off guard with a quick assault"

"We'll cause a diversion and force the enemy to go our way" I decided "Ike and Sonya, you'll stay on the shore here and fire shockwaves and magic towards Elise and Xander. They'll retreat into the fort to protect themselves only to find Camus and Cecilia ready for them. Once the enemy is all grouped together in the center, we'll overwhelm them in one fell swoop"

"Sound plan. Let's get started then" Camus nodded, pointing his spear at the nearby cracked wall "I assume me and Cecilia should start chipping away at the wall?"

"Wait for my signal first. Ike and Sonya, fire at will" I nodded towards the pair and they aligned themselves on the shore, preparing to strike. Ike fired first, shooting an astral blue shockwave that rocketed straight towards Elise. Sonya's Dark Excalibur followed suit and Elise dashed under the cover of the cracked walls to hide while the two attacks sundered the desolate land.

"Xander, the enemy Askrians are here!" Elise cried, clutching her Hibiscus Tome tightly.

"This would of been so much easier if I had my armor and Siegfried" Xander grumbled, picking at his Lilith Floatie with his fingernails "Leo, has Corrin arrived yet?"

"Not yet, but I fear that the Askrians would try to assault us from the fort's front gate" Leo pointed to the ruined wall "We should man ourselves on the defensive tiles and wait for their assault"

"Alright. Elise, go alert Corrin of the situation. Me and Leo will hold the fort" Xander ordered and Elise rushed off. Meanwhile, I couldn't hear anything going on inside the building, so I gave Camus and Cecilia the signal to attack. Cecilia fired a roaring gale of wind towards the fortress wall, collapsing it in a mountain of dust and bricks. The two cavaliers charged through the debris, but Leo and Xander were more prepared than I've expected.

"I'll sink you!" An icy aura briefly covered Summer Leo before he called down a meteor shower of tomatoes, which were veiled in the ice cold magic of Iceberg. The tomatoes bombarded Camus and Cecilia and the green mage was taken out instantly. Camus took the attack hard, but he managed to power through just enough to throw his Gradivus at Leo in a counterattack, skewering the red mage through.

"Camus, pull back! Ike and Sonya, take the front line!" I commanded and the lance cavalier retreated just as Xander swung his pool toy towards Camus.

"I won't let anyone die!" Ike blocked the Lilith Floatie just in time before Sonya blew Xander backwards with a gust of wind. Xander landed on his feet just as Elise and Corrin came in to reinforce. Elise called a tornado that whipped Ike backwards, sending the Ragnell flying out of his hands thanks to Windsweep. Xander charged to attack Sonya, but the wind mage cleanly took him out with a blade of wind.

"Camus, flank Corrin and Elise. Sonya, distract the two while Ike recovers his sword!" I ordered and despite his injuries, Camus stalwartly began galloping to the left of Corrin and Elise while Sonya conjured a purple tornado to trap the duo.

"Time for a little discipline!" Sonya closed her fist and the tornado imploded on Corrin and Elise, slicing dozens of bleeding cuts with Moonbow. The mage duo attempted to get in one last attack, but Camus already arrived to finish them off. One strike from the Gradivus was all it took.

"Thanks to you, we've been released from Embla's contract" Xander thanked us shortly after the battle "Now if you excuse us, me and my siblings would like to enjoy the tropical island on our own. Do you mind…?"

"Oh of course. We'll leave right away" I nodded and unclasped the Breidablik from my belt before noticing Anna scanning her camera tome, giggling like an excited child "Well, I assume you got the photos you wanted?"

"Finally, my luck turns around! I got amazing photos of the Nohrian royals in actions. I can't imagine how high a price these will fetch…" Anna grinned before Summer Corrin approached her tentatively.

"Speaking of which, the Anna of this world told me to deliver this to you" Corrin said before Elise dragged her off back to the beach. Anna took the letter and tore it open.

"She's probably just checking up on her new business partner" Anna unfolded the paper in the letter and read the contents out loud "Let's see… "To whom it may concern, if you wish to use moving pictures rather than still images, you must pay a contract fee as itemized in the included report""

Anna's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped "What?! This price… it's even more zeros then before! This will bankrupt the Order!"

"I guess Anna is always going to be Anna, no matter where she's from" Alfonse smiled uneasily as Anna began to shake with rage "Oh no…"

"Grr... I didn't want to resort to this, but I have no other options! Alfonse, Lucian and Sonya! Take off your clothes!" Anna ordered.

"Excuse me?!"

"C-come again?!"

"No way in hell I'm doing that" I growled "I've commanded three battles in a row in the last two hours and I'm in the mood for a nap. I'm not letting myself or any of my heroes be milked for money without their consent!"

"If you must use heroes for the purposes of profit, you could turn to Camilla and some of the other females in our army" Camus suggested politely "With consent of course. Sonya here clearly doesn't want to do it"

"I am NOT a cash cow made to fund the Order, I'll have you know" Sonya growled "Lucian, let's just get out of here. I need a bath after this little excursion"

"Of course" I opened the portal back to Askr and my heroes followed me through, with Anna fuming in anger.

"Hmm… Camus's suggestion could sprout some ripe fruit. I could mull it over for a little bit actually…" Anna murmured to herself before jumping into the portal back home.

For our efforts in liberating the World of Conquest, we were awarded twelve orbs from the quest fountain. We were dry on orbs after summoning Sonya and Ike, so I decided not to pursue the Nohrian Summer heroes until later. Robin mentioned that the banner lasted a month anyways.

"There's also another event coming in a few days at the special maps courtyard" Robin told me "Lilina and Cecilia's Bound Hero Battle"

"Interesting. So I suppose it's a big battle for a handful of orbs?" I asked and Robin nodded.

"In a nutshell, yes"

"Oh well. I wasn't expecting anything too exciting" I stretched, letting the muscles on my back relax "Anyway, I'm leaving training tower quests to you today Robin. Organize a team of infantry, cavalry, armors and fliers for the tenth stratum ASAP"

"Right away. I'm assuming you'll be off to take a nap?"

"Yep. See you at dinner Robin"

"Aren't you the lazy one…"

 **The Duties of a General:** Camus and Cecilia's C support

"How are you feeling Cecilia?" Camus asked the valkyrie politely as he approached her in the lobby. Every time a hero "dies" in combat, they usually appear in the castle foyer an hour later. Heroes who have experienced it first hand state that it isn't painful, but floating around in perpetual darkness got boring after a while.

"I'm alright, thank you. The miraculous powers of this world leaves me with no apparent pain, despite my defeat" Cecilia replied "Before in my world, I've suffered mortal wounds that brought me to the brink of death. Only Sophia's healing brought me back to life"

"Sophia… that's the purple-haired shaman girl I've seen around the barracks before, right?" The lance cavalier asked and Cecilia nodded "She doesn't strike me as someone who would know how to heal"

"Well, she's more than what she looks" Cecilia shrugged "Not to sound offended or anything, but I'm surprised you approached me and asked for my well being. You seem to be the stoic and charismatic one around here"

"To repeat your words, I am more than what I look" Camus replied "As a general, it is my duty to check up on my fellow soldiers to make sure they are feeling comfortable heading into combat. It makes me feel like I belong among my troops and they earn trust and respect for me too"

"I see your meaning. Soldiers of an army typically look to their generals as stoic and apart from the common man's social status. That's why so many soldiers can unnerved around their commanders" Cecilia nodded in agreement "However, if more generals adopt your philosophy, they can connect more with their soldiers and build trust, allowing them to fight better"

"That's my intent" Camus frowned, at a loss on how to continue the topic "What's the context behind these "mortal wounds" you've suffered from?"

"Oh, it's a long story. If you'd like to hear, perhaps we should go somewhere less stuffy than the castle lobby" Cecilia offered "Perhaps… the parlor out in the castle town? We could have some tea while we talk"

"By your leave, General Cecilia"

 **And that's Nohrian Summer, the banner which introduced the first blue flier mage with S!Corrin. Nothing too interesting to take note of besides the new support building between Camus and Cecilia. Coming up next is The Sacred World paralogue, followed by the first Brave Heroes paralogue. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to leave constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time fellow summoners!**


	42. Sidestory 1: The Spear of a Goddess

A Summoner's Journey

Sidestory 1: The Spear of a Goddess

"I just had a thought Katarina" Robin set down the book he was currently reading and drank from his cup of coffee "You know how Lucian can summon legendary and well known heroes to our aid here in Askr, right?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, I always wondered about the nameless legends not mentioned in the history books. Do you think Lucian is able to summon them? They are technically considered heroes by their peers"

"Legends like Kris? He made the decision to be erased from the books after the War of Heroes" Katarina offered "Someone like that?"

"No. I'm talking about minor legends among the thousands of soldiers throughout history. Like Icarus, the Laguz Slayer from Daein in Tellius. Or Felix, also known as Javcav from Valentia. People like that" Robin replied "People who had the skills to stand out among their "generic" peers and earn the respect of many, but ultimately, be forgotten by history"

"Oh, I get what you mean. I overheard Seliph tell Julia a story his cousin, Leif told him before. Apparently, on his own adventures through Manster, Leif fought an armored general who carried five axes!" Katarina exclaimed "Five! One in his hand and two on each side of his belt"

"Ah, that's Gareth, the famed Penta-Axe General of Manster" Robin noticed Katarina's look of confusion "You look confused"

"A little bit. How do you know all these random legends if they've never appeared in the history books? As far as I know, only heroes from Archanea know who Kris is" Katarina replied "And if I recall, we have nobody from Valentia and Tellius is here in our army"

"You forget that I was talking to heroes from the past way before Lucian did. Back in my world, I dabbled with the Einherjar" Robin reached into his coat and threw a blue card on the table, which bore the symbol of Lehran's Medallion. Curious, Katarina flipped the card over to reveal a picture of Elincia "During my adventures with Chrom's army, I amassed a deck of these cards, which could summon heroes to my aid. I talked with Leif, Alm, Micaiah and many others and learned their stories"

"So you were doing what Lucian's doing way before he came here"

"Pretty much"

"I see" Katarina handed the card back to Robin "Do you have more with you? You said you had a deck of Einherjar"

"Katarina, the deck of Einherjar is massive. A hundred and thirty-six total" The tactician replied "With all the stuff I have in this coat, even separating the deck into multiple parts is not worth the trouble. So I only keep one card on hand. My favourite one"

"The Elincia one?"

"Her utility of a flier is so useful. Delivering messages, rescuing villages, picking off important targets… you name it"

"That makes sense. Anyways, back on topic" Katarina rested her hands on the pristine limestone table "Personally, I'm hoping Lucian can summon these "generic" legends, but due to the randomness of summoning, it's hard to predict"

"That's true…" Robin pursed his lips, thinking "Hey, do you think Embla has someone like that in their service?"

"Who knows? We've never been around Embla long enough to notice someone noteworthy"

"You're right. The battles between Askr and Embla have calmed ever since Prince Bruno went missing in the World of Shadows, so there isn't much opportunity to scout for interesting soldiers" Robin sighed "But now my curiosity is nagging at me like crazy"

"It's probably the coffee. Come on, let's take a walk on the beach to burn off that energy"

Meanwhile in Embla…

"Ugh, what's Princess Veronica doing keeping the army intact if all we're doing is searching the World of Shadows? We all know Askr's not going to attack us. It's beneath them" A swordsman complained in one of the Emblian barracks "Why can't she just let us go home and be with our families? It's been months since I've last seen them"

"Relax Sean. At the very least, our lack of military action has given us a lot of time for other activities or hobbies" A lance knight replied "For example, Aarnia's learned how to sew, Nistran learned how to play the violin and I even managed to get a date with Valoria"

"You got a date with that angel of a troubadour?" Sean asked, impressed "Damn, lucky you. She's as gentle as a snowflake, but real picky with men. Good luck Edgar"

"What about you Diana? Picked up anything new in this downtime?" Edgar asked a lance fighter, who was tending to her prized Silver Lance+ in the corner.

"Hm? Oh, I didn't do much. I just continued training with my lance" Diana polished the spear until it was gleaming and put down the rag "I'm not really good in much else so... I just continued doing what I do best. Stabbing my foes and hoping I kill them before they kill me"

"You're selling yourself short. You're probably the best fighter here in Embla, even better than General Xander!" Sean praised "I mean, you're super fast, highly resistant to physical and magical damage, have the endurance of a donkey and can punch down stone walls in a single stab of your lance. You can do so much more than being a soldier!"

"Okay, the last bit is untrue. I just locate weak spots in the wall before knocking it down" Diana replied modestly "But, I don't know honestly. Fighting is my whole life and I feel like I haven't done enough yet. I can't move on to another hobby until I'm satisfied"

"Well, you won't find your satisfaction here. I bet there won't be any battles with Askr until Prince Bruno's found" Edgar said "And the local arena definitely won't be worthy of your power. Maybe consider taking the Tactics Drills program?"

"Tactics Drills? What's that?"

"Pfft. The beginner and skill studies programs won't even be a joke for Diana. Those are too easy" Sean told Edgar, but the lance knight shook his head.

"You're right. That's why I'm suggesting Diana takes on the…" Edgar paused for a moment "... the Grandmaster Trials"

"No… you're not serious. Not even Diana can take on that" Sean shook his head vigorously and then turned to the confused lance fighter "Diana, nobody in Embla has beaten the Grandmaster Trials. It's a series of mind bending and sanity draining puzzles that test the absolute limits of your physical and tactical ability. Even Embla's greatest tactician, General Pierre can't beat them"

"Okay, break down the Grandmaster Trials for me in simple terms. What do I have to do in it?" Diana asked, brushing a lock of silver hair out of her eye "Because if General Pierre can't beat it, it's definitely something worth my interest"

"Basically, you have to lead a squad of simulated heroes against a group of enemies and defeat all of them within a certain time limit or fulfill a specific objective" Edgar explained "You have to be quick with your commands and use everything in your ally's disposals. Kill too slowly and you lose. There is only one way to win for the most part"

"I understand. I'll go try it out" Diana rolled her shoulders, letting her muscles relax "Where can I find it?"

"The simulation arena nearby Embla Castle. Not hard to miss" Edgar glanced outside, the sun crossing into noontime "Ah, time for me to go and meet Valoria at the park fountain. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck Edgar" Sean nodded, patting his friend on the shoulder "I'll take your advice. Learning how to ride a horse has been on my mind lately, so maybe I'll ask Serena if she can teach me"

"Good for you Sean. I'm sure you'll be a capable cavalier" Edgar grinned "And for you Diana, good luck. Don't lose your hair in there"

"Believe me, I could use a hair cut. This ponytail is growing ridiculously long" The lance fighter replied jokingly "But thank you. I'll be back before dinner"

Taking her Silver Lance+, Diana made her way out of the barracks and towards the Embla castle town, where the simulation arena was located. The building doubled as a research center, where Emblian mages researched and created new magic and weapons. That's how we stay ahead in Askr's game. They have the advantage in summoned heroes. We have the advantage in advanced weaponry. Unfortunately, Diana hasn't been granted much beyond her faithful Silver Lance+ and Death Blow 3 skill pin.

"Greedy asses got the cool weapons first. Just because they seduced the blacksmiths" Diana was still angered over the new Reprisal Lance being handed to a pegasus knight, Nilana instead of her. She hasn't come back from the World of Awakening yet, but Diana was tempted to go in and take the spear anyways. She could use the extra striking power. Although the extra defense from the new Vanguard lance would be nice…

"Grandmaster Trials first. You don't have the money to buy the new weapons and you're NOT going to seduce the smiths for a lower price like those dastards" The lance fighter scolded at herself "You're a proud and honorable warrior of Embla, not a prostitute"

Finally, Diana found the simulations arena and told the fightmonger she was here for the Grandmaster Trials. The burly eyepatched man stepped back a little at the request, but allowed entry regardless, calling the arena mages to set up the simulations. The lance fighter paid her fee and entered the arena, where the illusionary soldiers and enemies were already set.

"Diana, lance fighter from barracks 8… your allies for this trial are a thief with the Peshkatz, a dark mage with Grima's Truth and a green mage knight with the Thunderhead tome. You must defeat all enemies in two and a half minutes" The head sage announced "Both Peshkatz and Grima's Truth act as mass debuffing and buffing weapons when cast or thrown. The Thunderhead functions similarly to the Gronnblade spell. That's all the hints you get. Ready?"

"Yes!"

"Begin!"

"Thief, hit the lance knight with the Peshkatz and mage knight, finish it off with the Thunderhead!" Diana commanded and the illusionary soldiers moved without question, throwing the astral blue dagger before a swirling thunder cloud enveloped the knight, reducing it to nothing "Dark mage, strike the wind mage from behind the trees!"

Forks of purple lightning appeared out of thin air, lancing through the helpless wind mage and taking him down easily. The archer and thunder mage made their way towards Diana's squad while the axe knight advanced slowly forward.

"I'll take on the axe knight. Thief and dark mage, strike first and let mage knight finish them off. Keep the weapon triangle in mind!" Diana called and rushed off towards the Silver Axe wielding knight. The soldier easily dodged the knight's slow swing and with one stab of her lance, impaled the illusion through and broke it to dust. Diana turned to see if her allies defeated the remaining enemies, but two arrows quickly flew by and she was forced to block. Risking a look over her shield, Diana noticed that the mage knight and thief were both gone just before the thunder mage finished off the dark mage. Incompetent idiots…

"Time! Your time is up Diana" The head sage called and the illusionary soldiers immediately vanished "Not only did you not kill all the enemies within the time frame, you also got all three of your allies killed. One summoned ally must survive for you to win the trial"

"God dammit…" Diana cursed under her breath before raising her voice "Am I allowed to retry the trial again?"

"You'll have to pay the entry fee again if you'd like to retry" The head sage replied as Diana fumbled through her coin purse "As long as you win through the trials consecutively, you'll only need to pay once"

"Okay, I have enough for two more retries. Can't mess it up this time" The lance fighter gave the money to a nearby servant and attempted the trial again. This time, she let the allied soldiers fight on their own while she issued commands. Her revised battle plan involves initiating an attack with the mage knight at the archer who was on a defensive tile, but somehow, it worked out with the dark mage finishing off the axe knight in quick fashion. The next trial began, with every subsequent one being harder and more ridiculous than the last. Some trials forced Diana to let a sword knight take a Heavy Spear+ hit, WHILE the knight carried Life and Death 3.

"I can see why General Pierre couldn't beat all of this. After a while, your mind starts to exhaust itself and go numb…" Diana thought to herself "How many trials are there anyway… and what do I get out of it?"

Two hours past and Diana was far beyond fatigued, both in mind and body. She didn't think issuing commands like a tactician could be so tiring on the actual body, but the trials never seemed to end.

"Congratulations. You've reached the last and latest Grandmaster Trial. Nobody has ever made it this far in Embla's history" The head sage congratulated "Even if you fall here, you can still be proud that you've gone farther than anyone else in the world"

"I… I can still keep going. Bring on the last trial" Diana heaved, adjusting her helmet "What do I need to do this time?"

"You have four minutes to take down these four heroes" The mages moved all at once and summoned a ghostly Leon, Narcian, Roderick and Odin "And on your side, you are allowed six allies"

"Six?!" Diana gasped as the allied soldiers appeared around her "Against four heroes plus me? Are you serious?"

The faintest of smiles appeared on the head sage's face "I am serious. Begin!"

The enemy team reacted first and quickly, Roderick moving behind Odin to cast a double layer of shields with Rally Def/Res while Leon lined up a shot at Diana's allied axe flier.

"Axe flier, dodge and fall back. Axe wyvern, take down Odin!" The lance fighter commanded and the two fliers moved into action "All units, seize the defensive tile as quick as possible. Sword fighter, lead the charge!"

The axe wyvern's Brave Axe smashed Odin's head twice, but miraculously, he survived thanks to Roderick's defensive shields. Diana's allied thief moved through the thick trees, but Narcian spotted him and mortally wounded the thief with his Emerald Axe, causing a shockwave via Savage Blow that flinched the nearby allied sword fighter.

"No! Sword fighter, fall back!" Diana cried, but Roderick closed the distance quickly and impaled sword fighter through, killing him. Odin, empowered by Defiant Attack, shredded the axe wyvern with his Blarblade tome in the counterattack. Diana's win streak was rapidly falling apart with every allied unit killed. How could these four nobodies take down the illusionary soldiers so easily? Especially Odin of all people! The thief tried to retreat, but Leon's arrow caught him and he fell as well.

"Archer, shoot Roderick off the defensive tile. If I can occupy it, I can defeat the remaining enemies easily!" Diana commanded and the archer let loose two arrows via his Brave Bow, but they weren't enough to penetrate the defensive tile's wards and Roderick was left annoyingly alive. The cavalier fell back to rearm the magical shields on Odin before the thunder mage himself took the tile, obliterating Diana's allied archer.

"No! Fire mage, kill Roderick! NOW!" Diana screamed in desperation. She couldn't lose this bout. Not after prevailing through so much. The fire mage blasted Roderick with Bolganone+, but the damn idiot had Triangle Adept, rendering his attack near useless on the lance cavalier. It wasn't long before Narcian's axe came overhead and Leon's arrow was poised to strike the allied mage.

"I can't lose!" Diana grabbed the illusionary soldier and shoved him behind her, taking both Narcian's axe and Leon's arrow. With all her power, Diana thrust her red-tinged lance at Narcian, but the axe wyvern quickly seized the defensive tile and actually survived the attack. Roaring in rage, Diana attacked again before her spear met Narcian's axe, breaking it in half through Lancebreaker. Stunned, the lance fighter was blasted to the ground by Leon's Ignis-charged arrow and Odin's piercing Blarblade+. Diana was left mortally wounded on the ground, her beloved spear snapped beside her. Feeling nothing but shame and pain, she passed out as the illusions faded around her.

"Diana! Diana! Are you alright? Wake up!" Sean cried in a panic as Valoria worked magic through her staff to heal the wounded lancer. The trio went to go check up on Diana at the simulation arena and found her passed out with an arrow in her shoulder and her lance magically severed in half. They brought her back to the barracks before the head sage could even explain what happened.

"Ughh… who in the world is shouting…" Diana opened her eyes to Valoria gently cutting Leon's arrow to pull the shaft out of her shoulder "Ouch! Not so rough Valoria!"

"Sorry. I had to do it quickly otherwise it'll just cause you more pain" The troubadour apologized, applying bandages on the open wound before pressing it down "How are you feeling?"

"A bad mix of pain, shame and agony" The lance fighter replied "I couldn't beat the final Grandmaster Trial. No matter what I did, my units kept falling left and right. I never felt so helpless and when I joined the fray myself out of desperation, I was cut down by Narcian and Odin of all people"

"Diana, don't beat yourself up over that loss. Remember, nobody but General Pierre has gotten as far as you. You should be proud" Edgar frowned "Although I should of told you sooner that there isn't much reward for beating the trials. It's really only for challenge and experience"

"That's fine. It was something new and I'm thankful you told me about it" Diana sat up on her bed and took a deep breath "You're right. I shouldn't be feeling bad over my loss. Those trials are stupid anyways"

"Why don't you tell us while I prepare some herbal tea for you? It'll get your mind off the pain of your injuries" Valoria offered and the lance fighter nodded. The troubadour stood up and headed to the barracks's mini kitchen, leaving the trio of Emblians alone.

"By the way, where's my lance? Before I went out, I remember Narcian snapping it in half with his axe" Diana remarked, looking around herself "I don't see it around here"

"It's right here" Edgar reached underneath Diana's bed and brought out the gleaming Silver Lance+, good as new "Remember that breaker skills magically shatter the weapon for a few minutes. Shortly after we brought you back to the barracks, your spear mended itself back to normal"

"Thank goodness. I didn't want to part with my trusty lance because of this" Diana smiled faintly "Anyways, back to the Grandmaster Trials. Honestly, they tested my sanity as a battle tactician. In order to win some of the trials, I had to lure a lance wyvern with a Heavy Spear using my sword knight, who had Life and Death"

"Seriously?! What kind of idiot of a knight uses Life and Death?" Sean asked, flabbergasted "Your face tells me this wasn't the only time it happened"

"Nope. I once had to position a thunder mage on a defensive tile to delay the advance of a Life and Death axe cavalier" The lance fighter continued "I get that they're on a defensive tile, but come on! No normal person would expect the thunder mage to survive one hit, but I knew the trials would pull a trick like that, so I did it anyway"

"No wonder people claim that the Grandmaster Trials drain your sanity. Sending off your men to a death you know will happen is heart wrenching for sure" Edgar commented "Only the insane or merciless would do that without flinching"

"Yeah, it's definitely something I don't want to do again" Diana accepted the cup of herbal tea from Valoria "By the way Edgar, how did your date with this lovely troubadour go? I'm sure your charm and charisma wooed her quickly, did it?"

"Say another honeyed word and I'll kill you" Edgar jokingly threatened while Sean and Valoria doubled over with laughter "But in all seriousness, it was great. At least for me. How about you Valoria?"

"Oh it was wonderful. You're much better than most of the men here Edgar" The troubadour smiled, making the knight blush "You definitely defied my initial expectations…"

Suddenly, a dark-skinned female lance cavalier burst through the door panting "Barracks 8, a group of unidentified raiders are pilliging the coastline and border villages between here and Askr. We need your assistance in fending them off!"

"What's wrong with the border patrol Serena?" Sean asked.

"These aren't regular bandits apparently. They're strong and fight like a platoon from a different army. The border guards aren't enough" Serena replied, shaking her head "We need as many Emblian elites as we can get to help before we're slaughtered"

"You said they were unidentified, so they aren't the Askrians. It must be an army from the continent of Drasalia across the sea" Edgar looked troubled "This assault might be a diversion to lure the Emblian army away from the castle"

"Aarnia should be resting in barracks 4. Tell her to fly to the castle and warn Princess Veronica and General Xander of this threat" Sean suggested to Serena "We'll take a small battalion of anyone that's around and try to suppress the attack"

"Okay! Good luck, you four!" And the lance cavalier quickly mounted her horse, galloping off towards barracks 4. Diana stood up to put on her armor, but Valoria stopped her.

"Diana, you can't go out there to fight. Your shoulder has barely healed!" The troubadour warned "If you strain it too much in this battle, it could cause a lot more damage"

"It's fine. I fight with my left hand anyways and my right shoulder's the one that's damaged" Diana replied easily, suiting up her spearman armor "I'll just be mindful on how I use my shield"

"You're coming with us, right?" Sean asked Valoria and she nodded "Okay, so you keep an eye on her. Make sure she isn't overexerting herself on the field"

"I'll be fine Sean. I haven't gotten any worse since the Grandmaster Trials" Diana scoffed, throwing back her long silver hair to fit on her helmet "Let's go. The sooner we leave, the better. I'm sure Askr's sending some of their own to help out too"

"Let's hope they don't try to kill us on sight then" Edgar grabbed his Ridersbane off the wall and the four Emblians left the barracks, taking whatever soldier was willing to fight with them. Unfortunately, they were only able to snag a brother and sister duo with them: Nistran the axe wyvern and Nastia the light mage. Everyone else seemed to be either off in the World of Shadows or doing some sort of other assignment. So the six Emblians went to the closest objective: a Zenithian border village.

"Who are these people? I've never seen that kind of armor around Zenith before" Nastia commented once they made it to the village. Both Emblian and Askrian border guards with dueling with the mysterious soldiers, but they were quickly falling left and right. They were more of a threat than Diana initially thought.

"Clearly, they came from the continent of Drasalia. See that unique armor pattern of black and red? That's the mark of Muspell, the kingdom of flame" Edgar caught looks of confusion being sent his way "I know this because I was born in Drasalia. Before I moved to Zenith, I laid my eyes on Muspell soldiers exactly like these"

"So what are they doing here? If these are actually Muspellian soldiers part of their army, why are they raiding villages and setting fire to the homes?" Diana watched with intrigue as a villager tried splashing a bucket of water on his burning home to no avail "Hold up. That fire did NOT extinguish from the water. That's not real fire"

"It's not magical fire either. I can't sense any fire spirits in the village" Nastia pursed her lips, worried "It's unnatural, undying fire"

"That's the symbol of Muspell. An undying flame" Edgar explained grimly "As for why they're here, it seems like King Surtr's finally resting his eyes on Zenith. This is their first assault"

"Well, let's show them that Zenith isn't to be messed with! If this pyromaniac wants to take our home, he'll have to deal with us first!" Sean rallied "Let's do this. We have to team up with the Askrians and help rescue the villagers!"

"Nistran, handle any armor knight you see with your Hammer+. They are sure to be trouble for everyone but me, you and Nastia" Diana told the wyvern rider "Edgar will take the front while Sean, Nastia and me will go behind, shielding Valoria. She's in charge of healing all of us"

"So basically everyone sticks together except for me" Nistran summed up "And I'll be hanging out in the sky, dive bombing any enemy knight I see?"

"Pretty much. If anyone sees Askrian reinforcements, alert me or Edgar immediately" Diana gripped her Silver Lance+ "Ready? Let's go!"

Nistran's wyvern roared and took off, alerting the Muspellian soldiers of the Emblian elite's presence. The group of five charged down the hill they were on and into the village, reinforcing the scattered remnants of the border guards.

"Not even the combined forces of Embla and Askr are enough to defeat Muspell! Under King Surtr's rule, we are invincible!" A Muspellian lance wyvern shouted, rallying the remaining soldiers "And under General Laegjarn's command today, we cannot lose! Show them the strength of our empire!"

The Muspellian soldiers roared in agreement and charged to meet Diana's group head on. A axe wielding warrior made a heavy dent in Edgar, but the lance knight pushed him back with a heavy spear thrust while Valoria healed him. Diana powered through a thunder mage's Thoron easily and impaled him, using the butt of her lance to smack another enemy before skewering them. Being able to fight freely and without the weight of pressure was euphoric.

"Damn! They're tough!" Diana turned to see Nastia dueling with a wind mage, using her Darting Blow to evade the blasts of wind and cast flares of light into the mages eyes with her Shine+ "We can't hold out against enemies like these without help. Take down the leader and send them into disarray!"

Diana paused, glancing through the flames, smoke and chaos to see a lance wyvern rider preparing to mount his dragon. She was definitely quick enough to reach him before that happened.

"We need to get Nistran down here to guard Valoria. I'm heading for the leader!" Diana dashed with inhuman speed towards the leader of the group, only for an axe knight to block her way "Out of my way!"

The lance fighter's spear thrust was about to meet the axe knight's Silver Axe before a giant maul smashed the knight's skull to pieces, impaling their helmet through their brain. Nistran looked at Diana for a brief moment of understanding before flying over to tackle two swordsmen heading for Valoria.

"Leave our lands now!" Catching him by surprise, Diana skewered the lance wyvern rider just as easily as anyone else. The dragon roared, trying to gobble the lance fighter, but a single strike from her spear pierced enough to kill the large dragon instantly. Glancing back, Diana noticed that the battle was winding down as the Muspellian numbers dropped. With their leader dead, some soldiers retreated and anyone else dumb enough to fight were slaughtered. One village saved, yet so many more left. Whoever this General Laegjarn was, Diana was hopeful that killing her would be enough to tell the Muspellians to leave. As for the eternally burning houses… that was something Diana wouldn't know how to solve.

"Quickly! To the next village!" Diana called and the six Emblians rushed out.

"General Laegjarn, bad news!" A Muspellian pegasus knight flew up to the sword wyvern rider in a panic "Squad Commander Leyvon fell to a group of Emblian elite soldiers. I saw one of them running at incredible speeds and killing Leyvon's dragon in a single blow! She also took the full brunt of a Thoron spell like it was nothing!

"I find that hard to believe. Did anyone else see it besides you?" Laegjarn, a tanned woman sporting an armor of both red and black, asked "Because I'll have to see it myself to believe such tall tales"

"General Laegjarn, Commander Leyvon has been killed in action, along with his dragon. A single wound has been sighted" A fire mage flier reported "The culprit is this… interesting lance fighter…"

"Yes, I've heard about it already" Laegjarn drew her sword, the Niu "This operation may prove detrimental to Muspellian lives if this continues, but we'll hold out for now. I want to see this girl's strength for myself"

"Very well. Also, an Askrian strike force is moving towards here as well. It's a squad of heroes led by a mage wearing a black coat" The mage flier continued "If I may say this personally, I think we should consider loading our men back on our ships and going back to Muspell. We've done what King Surtr commanded and like you said, this'll just waste Muspellian lives if it continues"

"That's what I was thinking. Fly down and tell the men we're retreating" Laegjarn ordered "But I want to see this lance fighter in action first before leaving"

"But General Laeg-" The mage flier was stopped when Laegjarn held her Niu up to his neck "R-right away General. I'll tell the men"

Back on the ground, Diana and her group successfully liberated the second village before noticing the Muspellian soldiers retreating and making their way towards the coast.

"They're leaving! Looks like they got the message!" Sean's Vantage activated and he sliced a axe fighter in half before the Muspellian could even move "We should check on the other villages for stragglers though"

"Enemy sword wyvern coming for you Diana!" Nistran called and Nastia blessed the lance fighter with Rally Atk/Spd before jumping away, letting Diana and the sword wyvern clash lance to sword.

"You're not like the other Muspellian soldiers. I can tell by your weapon and your armor" Diana pushed back the sword and thrust downwards to impale the rider's wyvern, but it darted back quickly "Who are you and what is your army doing here?!"

"I am Laegjarn, one of the three generals of Muspell's army! We are here to test the power of Zenith!" The sword wyvern called "I'm challenging only one person today and that's you, lance fighter. Show me the strength that defeated so many!"

"If you fight me and me alone, then I'll accept your challenge!" Diana shouted back and Laegjarn nodded in agreement "Alright, I'll show Muspell that Zenith isn't to be messed with. Come at me!"

Laegjarn shot down towards Diana at sonic speeds, Niu raised over her head. The lance fighter blocked the strike with her shield and thrust with her lance, but Laegjarn's durability was better than Diana thought. Laegjarn's wyvern headbutted Diana away before another attack could connect.

"Chill Attack!" Laegjarn raised her Niu in the air, casting a curse that spiked heavy dark magic onto Diana's arms, making it harder to even raise her lance and shield. The general charged in for a follow up attack, but Diana dashed out of the way, waiting for the Chill Attack curse to wear off. She knew that her offensive and defensive powers weren't going to work well under Chill Attack, so she had to use her speed. Frustrated, Laegjarn had her dragon sweep it's tail in a circle, but the lance fighter leaped in the air to dodge, appearing behind Laegjarn in a flash to deliver a fatal backstab.

"Resist and perish!" However, Laegjarn saw it coming and stopped Diana's lance with her sword, lighting it ablaze with Bonfire to force Diana backwards. Suddenly, Laegjarn lunged, stabbing the burning Niu through Diana's chestplate.

"Gaaahhh!" The lance fighter screamed, but anger quickly replaced her pain. She couldn't lose today. It wasn't like the Grandmaster Trials anymore. This was a fight to protect Zenith and her friends. Quick as a cheetah, Diana speared Laegjarn's arm, forcing Niu out of the lance fighter before following it up with a brutal stab to the abdomen. The lance fighter charged to finish Laegjarn off before a swarm of blue ravens burst from the ground, rocketed towards the weakened sword wyvern.

"Don't enjoy this too much, darling" Suddenly, a tall woman with a staff warped onto the battle, nullifying the Blarraven+ attack easily "Poor little Laegjarn. Your father isn't going to be happy with this failure, isn't he?"

"Urggh… what are you here for, Loki?" Laegjarn growled.

"Here to save you of course!" Loki raised her demonic red staff and Laegjarn began glowing with the yellow veil of a warp circle "I'll send you straight back to Muspell to get healed and then deal with your daddy. You can thank me later!"

"... Lance fighter, you'll be a formidable opponent for Muspell. I'll see you again" Laegjarn locked eyes with Diana before teleporting away, along with Loki. That left Diana alone with her Emblian companions and the Askrian strike force.

"So… you guys want to call a truce for now?" The lead mage asked and Diana nodded. She was weary from fighting anyways "Who attacked the border towns? Those definitely weren't bandits"

"Those were soldiers from the continent of Drasalia, more specifically the kingdom of Muspell. The nation of fire" Edgar explained "Who Diana just fought was General Laegjarn, daughter of King Surtr"

"I see. So guessing by the burnt ruins of these villages, this is Muspell's first assault on Zenith?" The mage asked and Diana nodded "Askr and Embla will need to work together to combat this new threat. Can you get an audience with Princess Veronica to work it out?"

"If your ruler and the princess can agree to end this war, then for sure. We can try to send an envoy to Askr or vice versa" Valoria chimed in "Will that do?"

"Yes, that'll work. I'll commune with my prince and we'll meet up back here in… three days with our responses"

"Oh, we aren't actually part of the Emblian royal court. We're just the elite soldiers" Sean said "Still, we'll try to get an audience with the princess and she'll send a representative to speak with you here. Then you can negotiate"

"Alright, that sounds good. Maybe I'll see one of you in three days" The mage nodded to the Emblians before gesturing for his force to leave "Back to base everyone"

"Wait! Can't you help us with putting out the fires?" Valoria called after them, but the mage raised an eyebrow with confusion.

"What fires?"

Looking around themselves, Diana realized the flames were already snuffed out. Maybe the eternal inferno died out when Laegjarn and the Muspellians left the area.

"Oh… nevermind. Go on your way" Valoria replied, embarrassed. The Askrian mage shrugged and his force disappeared over the crest of the next hill. Making sure all the villagers were alright, the group of Emblians made their way back home.

"Honestly, you should be promoted to the rank of general. You were like a goddess with a spear out there" Sean praised, but Diana shrugged it off.

"I'm content with being a regular soldier. There, all I need to do is fight. I'm not fit for commanding others" The lance fighter replied modestly, but Edgar shook his head.

"You were plenty good at commanding us back there. I think you'll be capable with a bit of extra training" The knight said "Just because you failed the last Grandmaster Trial doesn't mean you're not fit for a leading position. Remember that General Pierre couldn't beat it either"

"I know. I suppose I'll give it some thought if Princess Veronica offered me the position" Diana shrugged "I just hope that Embla and Askr can align together to take on Muspell. What even was the purpose of this war anyways?"

"I don't even remember at this point. Something about Veronica continuing on her father's warmongering legacy or something" Sean replied "It's a stupid cause to fight for, but what else can we do for money?"

"Well, you COULD-" Valoria was cut off by the sound of dozens of cavalry. Diana looked up to see General Xander leading a group of Emblian cavaliers down the path they were walking on.

"General Xander! What's going on?" Edgar called to the paladin. Xander stopped to stare long and hard at the group of Emblians, noticing the scratches and blood staining their armor.

"We were sent out by Princess Veronica to suppress an attack by an unknown party at the border, but seeing as you're covered in dents and blood, I assume you six already handled it?" Xander asked and Diana nodded "Well then, excellent job for all of you. You can expect an increase in your salary pay"

"Actually General Xander, I'd like to propose something more. Something for Diana the lancer" Sean began and the lance fighter realized what he was going to say, grabbing his shoulder to stop him. Edgar and Valoria held her back and covered her mouth, smiling mischievously.

"The position of bodyguard for Princess Veronica?" Xander repeated Sean's words "Are you sure she's capable? It's an important and dangerous position to work in"

"All of us can vouch for Diana's skill. She's comparable to a battle goddess" Sean countered "She's more than capable for the spot"

"If you say so. I'll run it by Princess Veronica to conduct a test for Diana then" Xander's expression hardened "And if she isn't as skilled as you say she is, the punishment's on you"

"I know Diana will succeed" The sword fighter nodded with a grin. Xander simply glanced at the stunned Diana before gesturing to his riders to head back to Embla castle, leaving the group alone.

"At least you didn't apply me for the position of general. I like the idea of bodyguard better" Diana said once Edgar and Valoria released her "But honestly, I'm a bit nervous around General Xander, so I wouldn't bring up the idea on my own. Thanks Sean"

"No problem. The general should call you into the castle in a day or so, so you better be prepared for the test. We'll be rooting for you" The sword fighter looped his arm around Diana's shoulders "But for now, let's head home and have some rest. It's been a long day"

"Yes it has…"

Meanwhile back in Askr castle…

"That lancer Diana… she's definitely the one. The nameless legend of Embla" Robin told Katarina "Did you see her fight General Laegjarn? That power and speed… it's inhuman"

"I'm glad we're going to try and form an alliance with Embla. Imagine if we had to fight her on the battlefield" Katarina remarked "Have you talked it over with Lucian and Alfonse yet?"

"I'm about to. Hopefully negotiations work out" Robin replied wistfully "Because if Embla ends up on Muspell's side…"

"We'll face both her and Muspell's forces" Katarina finished "And we both saw how strong General Laegjarn was. I can imagine the king being much stronger"

"Yeah we definitely need Embla on our side if Muspell's coming for Zenith" Robin nodded "Alright, I'll talk about the negotiations with Lucian and Alfonse. Want to come?"

"Of course. Lead the way Robin"

 **Here's a little diversion from the usual stuff. I always wanted to make a chapter centered around the generic enemies in Embla (since I freaking love their designs), but it wasn't until the infamous G-24 Lance Fighter from the 24th Grandmaster Trial was released that I had an excuse to write about them. Obviously, Diana is inspired by the G-24 Lance Fighter (who has 99 HP, 99 Attack, 99 Speed and 50 Def/Res btw) and the way she's beaten in the last Grandmaster Trial is exactly how you beat her in the real trial (by weakening her with Odin before finishing it off with Leon's Ignis) If you're wondering, Diana will play a role later in the story once Book II rolls around. Laegjarn and Loki showing up is my own headcanon where before Surtr conquered Nifl, he sent scouts to Zenith to see if they would pose a threat to him, with Laegjarn leading the charge. The Edgar and Valoria shipping is based off a Heroes comic where a lance knight wishes to propose to a troubadour before being killed by Spring Lucina and this entire chapter is partially based off the Embloyees comic series on Reddit. If you want to be notified of when chapters come out, favorite and follow. If you want to give constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Up next is Berkut's Grand Hero Battle. Until next time, fellow summoners!**


	43. Grand Hero Battle: Berkut

A Summoner's Journey

Grand Hero Battle: Berkut

 _Team for this chapter: Jaffar, Olivia, Minerva and Catria_

"And with that, we're done" I said once Camus stabbed Lilina through the heart, ending the Cecilia and Lilina Bound Hero Battle. It was a unique challenge, but not hard at all, though the seven orbs I got from it was worth it.

"Lucian! A message from Robin!" Caeda flew straight towards me, her pegasus panting once it hit the ground "He wanted to remind you that Berkut's Grand Hero Battle ends tonight, so you should go and clear it before you miss the chance. He and Katarina also want to speak to you personally once you're back at base"

"Alright, thanks for telling me. Everyone, excellent job today. Back to base!" I called and we made our way out of the special maps courtyard and rode back to the castle, where Robin and Katarina were waiting at the portal courtyard for me.

"I analyzed the battlefield with Jeorge, Robinne and Katarina while you were gone" The tactician handed me Berkut's Grand Hero Battle postcard "It's a relatively simple fight, if I'll be honest. The enemy starts bunched up all together, so someone with Savage Blow will be very effective"

"Lucky for us, I'm going to try and summon that very Savage Blow person right now" I pulled a summoning postcard out of my pocket, which was titled "Heroes with Life and Death". It featured Jaffar, Minerva and Hana as focus units "I made a promise to Nino to get Jaffar to Askr as quick as possible, so I'm taking any chances I can get"

"That's fine" Robin briefly thought for a moment "Assuming you get Jaffar, you can deploy him for this battle and have Olivia accompany him. Let him detonate his dagger and Savage Blow on Berkut's squad…"

"...And have fliers like Minerva and Catria pull them back to protect them from the onslaught of weakened enemies" Katarina finished "With that strategy, you can end the battle both quickly and with barely a scratch on anyone. Assuming you actually summon Jaffar though"

"Yeah well, I'm at least somewhat confident in my luck" I shrugged "Robin, round up Olivia, Minerva and Catria and bring them to the portal courtyard. Katarina, come with me to the summoning altar"

"Got it"

"Understood!"

Luckily, my luck came through and only after a handful of Jakobs, Marias and Matthews, Jaffar arrived in Askr, holding two deadly looking daggers in his hands.

"I am Jaffar. Known only as the Angel of Death" The assassin introduced himself "But only by those in the Black Fang and now, you"

"Wonderful. Great to have you here in Askr Jaffar" I nodded earnestly "If you want to know, Nino and several others from your world is here too, so you aren't alone"

"Is that so?" Jaffar was oddly emotionless. I suppose that's from his assassin training, but if I was summoned into a world I never knew about, I would at least show some shock or confusion. But Jaffar was… completely indifferent "You summoned me here for a reason, did you? Give me the mission and I'll see it through"

"This one gets right to business" Katarina noted "Very similar to Clarisse when we still served Eremiya"

"Hey, it saves me the effort of having to explain everything. Plus, I'm sure Nino would be happy to do it in my stead" I replied before facing Jaffar again "You'll be accompanying me and three other heroes to take down a prince and his group of escorts in another world. Is that clear?"

"Crystal. Let us go then"

Once we arrived back at the castle, Robin has rounded up Olivia, Minerva and Catria in the courtyard, just like I asked.

"I figured your luck would pull though, so I prepared this in advance" The tactician tossed me a light bag of grey crystal and shards "Heroes always bring these back when they're fighting in the training tower. Apparently, it's crystal-like candy that increases your strength as if you trained. It's not perfect, but it'll get Jaffar up to speed"

"So it's like steroids…" I looked at the crystal and then at Jaffar. I briefly envisioned an overly buff Jaffar tearing Berkut limb from limb with his daggers before shaking my head. Robin probably knew what the crystals did already, so I trusted him not to do me bad.

"Alright Jaffar. Eat a few of these crystals while I go fetch some skill pins from the storage for you. Be right back" I gave Jaffar the bag and dashed off before he could question it. While on the walk back to the castle, I examined Jaffar and knew he had his Deathly Dagger, Glimmer, Life and Death and Threaten Speed. I decided I needed the Poison Strike and Savage Blow skill pins on him.

"Thank god Robinne and Jeorge decided to organize these" Skill pins weren't the biggest things in the world by themselves, so I knew that in excess, they will go lost really fast. Luckily, Robinne and Jeorge sorted them by A, B and C skills in jewellry-like cases. I could pop over to the C section of the storage room and scan it easily for the Savage Blow pin. Same deal for Poison Strike. I took both pins and headed back to the courtyard, where Jaffar finished eating half of the crystal bag.

"What did the crystals taste like?" I asked when I came back. Jaffar handed the bag back to me, looking forlorn.

"Like chewing metal" The assassin replied bluntly.

"Did it work like Robin said it would?" Catria asked and Jaffar nodded.

"Good. Then you should be ready for Berkut's battle" I mentally activated Jaffar's skill bracelet and attached the two pins to it. The assassin flinched at my touch, but regained his composure quickly. Once that was done with, I double checked everyone else's bracelets.

"Catria has Killer Lance, Reposition, Luna, Armored Blow, Desperation and Goad Fliers" I said in monotone "Minerva has the Hauteclere, Reposition, Draconic Aura, Life and Death, Vantage and Ward Fliers"

I moved onto Olivia next "Olivia has the Silver Sword, Dance, Speed 3, Wings of Mercy and Hone Attack. Finally, Jaffar has the Deathly Dagger, Glimmer, Life and Death, Poison Strike and Savage Blow"

"Sounds like everyone's suited up. Good luck on the battle" Robin nodded at me and I pulled out Berkut's Grand Hero Battle postcard, ushering my heroes to enter the World of Shadows. We landed in a forest clearing behind what I assumed to be Zofia castle. Two defensive tiles lied behind trees opposite of each other in the clearing and up ahead was a group of cavaliers talking.

"Wait a second… where is everyone?" Catria asked beside me. I looked around and noticed that only Catria was at my side. What happened to Jaffar, Olivia and Minerva?

"Oi sir, look over there! It's the Deliverance!" An axe cavalier pointed at me and Catria "They're crossing into Rigel!"

"Oh, so their fearless leader decides to hide behind his soldiers this time?" Berkut, a lance cavalier cloaked in regal black and blue, laughed mockingly "Is the sheep afraid to face the lion?"

"Looks to be so. Either that or this is a scouting force" A red mage knight said "Shall we engage them Lord Berkut?"

"We shall. Let's show these dastardly Zofians the power of Rigel!" Berkut leveled his lance and pointed it straight at me "Charge!"

"Lucian, get on my pegasus. We can fly up to scan the area and find the others!" Catria called and I quickly hopped onto her mount and soared into the skies just before a bow cavalier's arrow clipped Catria's wings. I did a quick scan of the ground and saw Jaffar and Olivia hiding in the trees on the east side of the clearing. I looked to the west, but Minerva was nowhere to be found.

"Where did she go…"

"Looking for me?" Out of instinct, Catria quickly swung her spear at Minerva, who easily dodged "Focus Catria. You know it's hard to hide a dragon in a forest like this. I had to take to the air"

"Ah right. I'm still feeling a bit… nervous, that's all" Catria replied, drawing her lance away from the wyvern rider "Forgive me commander. I'm just worried about our companions down on the ground"

"You have every right to be so" Minerva stared down to the ground as well, where the group of cavaliers began to split to search both sides of the clearing "We need to get back down quick. Jaffar and Olivia can't survive against the whole group on their own"

"Target the bow cavalier first. He's the biggest threat to you two" I decided "Jaffar should be able to weaken most of them, if they come over to his side. We can pick off the scraps if so"

"I'll take the bow cavalier. Catria, fly down and strike the enemies heading for Jaffar and Olivia from behind" Minerva told the pegasus knight before looking at me for confirmation. I nodded in agreement and the two fliers soared down.

"Another victim" Meanwhile, Jaffar was holding his own quite nicely against Berkut's group of cavaliers. Using the trees as cover, both him and Olivia could evade the melee fighters while Jaffar picked off the mages.

"Gah, he keeps on disappearing! Where is he?" A red mage knight cried in frustration before getting a Deathly Dagger lodged in his neck. The blade then exploded alongside Savage Blow, blowing the mage's body to smithereens along with weakening the surrounding foes with shrapnel.

"Fools! Target the pink haired dancer wearing white clothes. If she's there, the assassin is there too! Split up to avoid being hit by the splash damage!" Berkut growled before noticed a flash of white zip under the cover of the tall trees "There! Bow cavalier, strike her!"

"Not so fast!" Minerva's Hauteclere came crashing down on the bow cavalier's head, cleaving it right in half before he could even react. The wyvern rider made a broad swing over to Berkut's neck, but the lance cavalier dodged and stabbed Minerva in the leg. For someone at a weapon triangle disadvantage, he put up a good fight. Seeing the opportunity, Berkut's remaining soldiers galloped off to find Jaffar and Olivia and that's when we came in.

"Here I go!" Catria, wreathed in the shielding aura of Armored Blow came rocketing down on the enemy axe cavalier and green mage, lance first. The axe cavalier's Hammer met with Catria's shield, but it bounced off futilely and a Luna sealed his fate. The green mage attempted to cast Gronnblade, but in a flash, Jaffar sliced the mage's throat and threw the dagger straight at Berkut.

"Begone from my sight!" Berkut's lance, lit with the flames of Blazing Flame, incinerated Jaffar's incoming dagger and stabbed down at Minerva's dragon, blasting both it and rider away with a burst of horizontal fire.

"Minerva!"

"Don't worry about it. Just distract him!" Minerva growled, pulsing with the energy of Draconic Aura. Berkut galloped towards her to finish the wyvern rider off before three Deathly Daggers came flying towards Berkut's head. The cavalier parried one away, but two landed on his chest and exploded, sending the cavalier flying off his horse and sprawling onto the dirt.

"Make peace… with your gods" Minerva loomed over Berkut's ravaged body before briefly growing dragon horns and claws to split Berkut in half with Draconic Aura. They faded just as quickly when Minerva lifted the Hauteclere "Could of been simpler if the portal didn't split us up"

"It would of been, but still, great job everyone. Jaffar and Olivia, both of you deserve special recognition for holding your own without my orders" I said and Olivia blushed wildly while Jaffar simply nodded "Now Berkut should reappear any moment now…"

"So you defeated me. In Rigel, strength is how you prove your worth to someone" And just like that, Berkut reappeared in a flash of magic, holding a unique spear I haven't seen before "I'll join your group to observe your mettle and perhaps learns some tricks to bring back to Rigel. One day, I'll stand at the top and I'll need every bit of power I can find"

"Well, I hope you find us satisfying to your needs. Let's see what we can do with you" I grabbed the Breidablik and opened a portal back to Askr. Once we stepped back into the castle, I delegated the training of Berkut over to Ogma and Sophia, with Olivia, Serra and Lachesis to aid them. I remembered Robin and Katarina wanted to speak with me, so I headed down to the library, where the two hung out most of the time. I assumed they would be reading like normal but instead, they were in the center of the library, under the glass dome ceiling with stacks of magic tomes at their feet.

"Elthunder!" Katarina thrust her hand towards Robin and twin bolts of lightning flew towards him, but Robin hoisted up a wall of fire to block it before sending it rocketing towards the female tactician "Arcwind!"

In response to the wall of flame from Robin, Katarina summoned three green gales of wind out of thin air to slice and blow the flames to shreds, scattering burning remains on the floor. However, in her effort to cut down the fire wall, Robin was already prepping another spell.

"Thoron!"

Realizing her mistake, Katarina dove out of the way to dodge the Thoron spell and it rocketed straight towards a library bookshelf.

"GUYS! What were you thinking?!" I yelled, racing to try and intercept the magical lightning bolt, but it suddenly bounced off an invisible wall and dissipated into the fried air "Huh?"

"Oh, welcome back Lucian. I assume you defeated Berkut?" Robin wiped the sweat off his brow nonchalantly, as if deadly magic duels with Katarina was nothing to be worried about "How did it go? Easy or hard?"

"Later. First of all, just what are you two doing? Why are you trying to kill each other?" I asked, pointing to the scorch marks on the floor left over by Robin's fire spell "And what invisible wall stopped the Thoron?"

"We wanted to try and train here. With all the magical tomes here at our disposal, it's a great place to learn and perfect different types of magic" Katarina explained "It's such a hassle to bring all the books down to the training yard, so why not fight here?"

"No healers on duty, potential collateral damage and guaranteed damage to the floor?" I pointed out "These floors are nice, you know. It would be rude to sully it with ash and charred paper"

"That's a minor grip at best Lucian. We can always clean it up" Robin reassured before opening his palm behind his back "Also the collateral damage is a non issue. We bought some Barrier staves down at the castle armory and had Priscilla, Lucius and Felicia set up a huge anti-magic dome here. No magic can enter or escape it. Watch"

Magical flames enveloped Robin's gloved palm and the explosive fireball launched straight towards a nearby window. Like with the Thoron before, an invisible wall collided with the fireball and made the magic scatter into the air like nothing.

"And the healer problem?"

"That one will need some thought, but I'm sure once you summon more healers to Askr, we'll manage" Katarina replied "We'll be careful in our duels until then"

"Fine. It looks like you're adamant about this system, so who am I to stop you?" I sighed, shrugging "Anyways, Caeda told me you wanted two wanted to talk to me about something personally"

"Ah right. While you were gone at the special battles courtyard to fight Lilina and Cecilia, there was a problem at the border between Askr and Embla" Robin explained once we found a table to sit down. Katarina came back with two cups of tea and one hot chocolate soon after "A border guard came to the castle to petition for reinforcements, so Anna sent me, Katarina and a battalion of Askrian soldiers to check out what's going on"

"But when we arrived at the border, there was nothing but an Emblian squadron of soldiers amidst the charred remains of a village" Katarina continued, tapping her fingers on the marble table "The leader of the squad was this lance fighter named Diana. The Spear of a Goddess, as we decided to nickname her"

"So Embla decided to set fire to villages on the border? Why?" I asked, blowing on my hot chocolate to cool it down.

"No, it wasn't them. I witnessed it myself" Robin said "Diana was dueling with General Laegjarn of Muspell, a kingdom across the sea on the continent of Draselia. They were the ones who came to Zenith and began terrorizing the border villages"

"Muspell is the kingdom of fire, by the way. Their symbol is the undying, unquenchable flame according to a Emblian lance knight" Katarina commented and Robin nodded.

"Right. Muspell's attack on Zenith's border was the first strike to intimidate us. This is a threat bigger than Embla and can put all of Zenith in danger" Robin traced the Zenith border engraved on the table with his finger "I saw how General Laegjarn and her soldiers fight. They are much stronger than anyone we fought from Embla"

"So Robin negotiated with Diana after the battle to send an Emblian or Askrian envoy to meet in three days to discuss a potential alliance with Embla" Katarina continued before wincing "Sorry that we did that without your permission Lucian"

"No need. I agree with your move for the most part. From what you're telling me, Muspell sounds much more harder to deal with than Embla and it won't be long before he targets us" I rested my elbows on the table "However, should we really trust Veronica to have our backs? She still has a burning hatred for us, you know"

"We'll see in three days. Diana and her squad said she'll try and get an audience with Veronica to tell them about this alliance opportunity" Robin said "So we'll run this by with Alfonse too and if he accepts, we can send a representative to the border to hear Embla's answer"

"I'll be the representative. If Veronica, Xander or Diana come, I want to discuss more should they accept" I stood up, draining the hot chocolate cup of it's contents in one go "So I'll go in three days to the border village where you and Diana met to talk to the representative?"

"Pretty much" Robin also stood up, brushing off his coat "Okay, I'll talk to Alfonse about this and come back to you with his answer. Where is he anyways?"

"I believe he should be somewhere here in the library. He told me a few days ago that he was interested in worlds beyond the ones we have in the courtyard" I replied, looking around the vast archives "I heard him mumble the words "Grastaea" and "Alberia" sometimes when he's in deep thought"

"Okay, I'll go find him" Robin nodded "Lucian, you can go rest if you want. I'm sure commanding the battle against Berkut was tiring"

"Oh, it would be, but after this spike in energy from the hot chocolate, I think I'll head to the archery range instead" I stretched, hearing the bones and joints crack "I've been slacking on training lately, so I need to catch up before I lose my skill"

"Sounds like a plan. Good luck out there" Katarina smiled before the duo departed to find Alfonse. I headed down to the archery range and fired some arrows with Klein and Jeorge's guidance. Clarisse was also there to give me a scowling every once in a while if my arrow flew off course and struck the wall.

"Pah, stay in the backlines commanding us Lucian. You'll never be good enough with a bow to fight on the front lines at this rate" Clarisse scolded as my arrow struck the shameful black border. I didn't pay her any mind and Jeorge only hissed in response while adjusting my bow and stance "Honestly you already have enough on your hands as the chief tactician. Just don't bother and do what you do best"

"Stop discouraging him Clarisse. He only wants to contribute more to the battlefield so he won't be, in his own words, "some schmuck who barks orders and needs to be protected at all times"" Klein said, lining up a shot with his practice Iron Bow "In time, I'm sure he'll become a worthy archer on the battlefield"

"Sure, but with his duties as a summoner, that's going to take a lot longer than most typical soldiers" Clarisse lined up her own shot and fired, perfectly sniping the bullseye "But it's your choice if you want to pursue this. Not like I care or anything if you do"

"I appreciate your care and worry Clarisse" I replied sarcastically and the blonde sniper simply crossed her arms before turning her back on me "Now deep breath aanndddd…"

"Lucian, are you here?" Alfonse's voice interrupted my focus and my arrow arm slackened, sending the bolt flying into the dirt "Oh… sorry about that"

"Next time, keep your focus locked and concentrated on the target in front of you. Let nothing distract you from firing your arrow" Jeorge advised, taking the bow and arrows from me "Now go see what Alfonse wants to tell you"

"Right. Thanks for the lesson today Jeorge" I nodded and headed towards Alfonse, who was by the training yard entrance "What's up?"

"Robin told me about the potential alliance between Embla and Askr and how you'll be leaving for the border in three days to talk with a representative" Alfonse began "Is Muspell really that big of a threat that we have to band together?"

"It is. The way Robin said it, it was like the Muspellian soldiers and generals are demons or deities of war. Even the most accomplished Emblian soldier, Diana only matched with General Laegjarn of Muspell" I replied "This is a threat worthy of an alliance. Why? Are you skeptical of Embla stabbing us in the back?"

"Frankly yes, but I'm not opposed to the idea. I want to help Princess Veronica if I can" Alfonse looked forlorn "She seems… lonely and not very passionate about her warmongering dream. She told us back at the summoning ruins that she does this purely to have more friends and resources for Embla by conquering worlds"

"I get that. It feels like Princess Veronica isn't our true enemy in this struggle. If she was, attacks on the castle and strategic areas would be more frequent. Now, we seem to be in a ceasefire" I said "Let's hope she isn't using this downtime to quietly align with Muspell though…"

"That's the worst possible outcome, but I suppose we'll hear the answer in three days" Alfonse chewed his lip "I dearly hope she aligns with us, but there's nothing we can do at the moment to influence it"

"Yeah. It's all left to prayer and RNG"

"RNG?"

"Random number generator. It's a thing in my world" I explained "Just another way of referring to a random chance"

"Ah" Alfonse gripped the hilt of his sword, Folkvangr "Hm, this conversation seems to be done. I'll be training if you need me. I want to try out some new techniques"

"Like?"

"Well, I've been studying this combat manual in the library for the past few days" Alfonse showed me a plain leather-bound book, titled "Alberian Sword Techniques". I've never heard of Alberia before "It's from a distant world we don't know of, but maybe one of my ancestors brought it here centuries ago"

"You're getting off track" I reminded the prince "What techniques are in the combat manual?"

"Different kinds of combos with my sword and something called a "Force Strike"" Alfonse explained "Where I focus my strength and energy into my sword to deliver a lunging strike that can catch enemies off guard. It could be useful"

"I'm sure it will" I nodded "Well, have fun with that. I'm going to get a snack from the mess hall before doing some writing in my room. See you at dinner"

"See you"

 **Resolve of Fate:** Jaffar and Matthew's Conversation

Jaffar wandered the barracks after the battle against Berkut was finished. He has been assigned a room by Anna, but he was really looking for Nino, hoping to pass by her in the hallway. Unfortunately, he met a different resident of his world first.

"Ah, so you're here too. I think I told you this before back in our world" Matthew casually twirled his knife in his hand before tossing it in the air and pointing it at Jaffar's chest "I said I will dedicate my entire life to bringing you to your grave for killing Leila. Remember?"

"That girl's spirit stopped you" Jaffar replied calmly and simply and Matthew sighed, sliding the blade back into the scabbard on his belt.

"Yeah it did and it still does now. Even now I can't bring myself to kill you, no matter how freakishly close my knife can get to your heart" Matthew looked frustrated and heaved a sigh through his nose "And besides, there would be no point. You'll just be revived back to life, I'll get punished for assault and Nino will probably send me to the next dimension with her magic. Not a fine trade"

"At her final breath, she had a name on her lips. It was "Matthew"" Jaffar said before walking away from a stunned Matthew "Make your peace and let go of your revenge"

"I… I…" Matthew was at a loss for words and Jaffar left him without a look back "Leila… is this what you want? For me to be happy and not go on the path of vengeance? That's why you stopped me from killing him, is it? You didn't want Nino to despair either. That's it, huh?"

Matthew looked around before whispering to himself "I will fulfill your wishes. For you Leila"

 **God damn did this take longer than it should of. End-semester work in school is seriously limiting the time I have to write, not even counting my volunteer work and other activities that eat up my day. At the rate I'm going, I'll hit modern day Heroes by 2020. I hope you guys can bear with it. I never intend to stop this fanfic until the day Heroes dies for good, so I'll eventually get there. Also yes, I started playing Dragalia Lost and if you don't know, it had a crossover with Heroes recently and Alfonse was a free unit there, so I decided to reference it. Coming up next is the Sacred World paralogue, featuring four heroes from FE8. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to leave constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time, fellow summoners!**


	44. Sidestory 2: Genealogy's Game of Thrones

A Summoner's Journey

Sidestory: Genealogy's Game of Thrones

The summoning altar emitted smoke and mist as the floor beneath me pulsed with mystical blue light. My summon session has been fairly fruitful this day, as I pulled my first Reinhardt and even got lucky with a five star Eldigan. The orbs I got from Cecilia and Lilina's Bound Hero Battle must of been blessed with luck or something. Still, I've been pulling on the latest Hero Fest banner for Ninian and Genny, but no dice so far. The Shanna that appeared from the mist finished off the session for today.

"I've been hearing of Reinhardt's dominance in the latest voting gauntlet and I'll never complain about getting another five star…" I murmured to myself "A shame I couldn't pull Ninian. Oh well, let's get the two trained up and ready to fight"

It was always inconvenient that heroes were weakened when they arrived in Askr, but that's what hopping between worlds does to you I guess. When Anna first initially summoned me, I did feel my physical capabilities wane for a while. Not that I was an athletic guy back in my world, but I certainly had less energy when I first came here. Overtime, I regained it and then some.

"Ike and Olivia, take Reinhardt and Eldigan over to the training tower to get them up to speed with the rest of our army" I told the duo once we arrived back to the castle. Camus was our usual training instructor for new recruits, but he was away right now, so Ike had to do "By the way, where's Priscilla? I remember calling her over for healer duty"

"Oh, Priscilla's on break now" Eliwood told me as he passed by. He was covered in sweat and looked banged up. Either he was fighting bandits or just returned from the training yard "I think she's on a walk across the countryside with Raven and Lucius. She won't be back for a while"

"Ah. Thanks for telling me" I nodded and dismissed the sword cavalier "Well, that complicates things, having our two best healers out of commission. I guess we'll have to make do with Serra and Maria. Where are they anyways?"

"... I'll find them" I suddenly heard Saizo's voice behind me and whipped to see him, but the ninja was instantly out of sight. How did he do that? I didn't even see him when I entered the lobby.

"He reminds me of one of my comrades, Volke" Ike commented while we waited "Silent, stoic and almost always out of sight. Though Volke would always ask for gold before being told to do something"

"People like that scare me" Olivia added, her eyes wary and timid "The way they always seem to be in the shadows and materialize without warning… i-it chills me to the bone"

"At least we can be assured Saizo's loyalty lies with us, given that Ryoma is here" I shrugged "Anyways, he should be back with the tw-"

"Done. They'll be here any second now" Saizo's sharp voice made me flinch and stumble back "You aren't very good at detecting me. If I were a callous assassin, you'd be dead now"

"I mean, I doubt any assassins could sneak into the castle and-" I began to reply, but Saizo already shook his head and disappeared, back into the shadows like usual. Moments later, I heard Serra's voice hollar from across the room.

"Luciannnn! I heard you needed me, so here I am!" I already regretted calling over Serra to help, but Maria alone wasn't enough. I steeled myself and faced the twin-tailed cleric. Ike gritted his teeth and gave a strained, but polite smile while Olivia flinched at Serra's booming voice. Eldigan and Reinhardt simply watched in utter confusion.

"I need you to accompany Ike, Olivia, Eldigan and Reinhardt here to the training tower to help the latter two get on par with the rest of us" I explained "You and Maria will tend to their wounds, Ike will assess their fighting ability and Olivia will energize them with her dancing. That clear?"

"Of course! You know I'll do splendidly!" Serra replied, cheery "But because you subject me to all that time in the sun, I want a favor from you after. Alright?"

I smiled at her, amused "Sure. I'll buy you dinner tonight. Nothing too expensive though"

"Deal!"

"Alright, it seems all of you are in the clear. So get going" I waved the party off "Ike, I want a performance report right after you come back, lest you forget. No offense"

"None taken. By the look at the sword Eldigan's carrying, I'm sure he'll impress" Ike eyed Eldigan's Mystletainn, which pulsed with dormant power "But we'll see soon. Let's move everyone!"

And with that, the training party left, leaving me alone in the lobby. I considered talking with Catria to kill time, but she was out patrolling the skies with Minerva, Caeda and begrudgingly, Michalis. With the threat of Muspell known and Embla's sudden non-aggression against Askr, I wanted to keep land and sky clear of anything dangerous. I frowned in thought before deciding to just go train in sword fighting with Ryoma. In addition to learning bows, I want to learn how to use swords like Ryoma does. I've always been interested in Japanese samurai back in my home world, so training with Ryoma with an actual katana was a good way to explore that. Many objected to me stacking more weapon training on top of my duties of the summoner and main tactician, but I'm sure I could handle it.

"My practice katana should be in my room. I should go get a snack and a drink before I leave though" I muttered to myself before setting off to the second floor. I went up to my room and rested in my bed for a little bit before grabbing the simply iron katana Ryoma gifted me. He claimed it to be simple, but it was better crafted than anything I had from my own world. The blade was clean, sharp and gleamed in the twilight sunlight streaming from my window. I almost didn't want to use it in fear of sullying the pristine sword with blood, dents, wood shavings and dirt.

"A weapon is made to be used on the battlefield, not to be hung up like some decoration" I told myself "Especially with a potential war against Muspell coming up, I'll need all the strength I can get. Let's get to work"

I tucked the katana sheath down the side of my belt and went to the mess hall before going to the training yard. The mess hall had a variable buffet of food always waiting to cater to the enormous amount of heroes part of the Order of Heroes, so I had no trouble finding something to snack on. I eventually settled on a few brownies and cookies and snatched a canteen of water before heading out. The training yard was fairly deserted aside from a small couple of heroes either training alone or sparring one another. Ryoma was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey Fir. Do you happen to know where Ryoma is?" I asked the sword fighter, who was cutting away at straw dummies with her own Killing Edge "I was planning to train with him today, but he doesn't seem to be here"

"Oh, hey Lucian!" Fir sheathed her blade and turned to face me "Ryoma just left not too long ago. Said he wanted to find a place to meditate to clear his mind"

"Ah. I suppose he won't be back for a while then?"

"Probably. I bet he's trying to find a waterfall for his meditation. That's something he often muses about" Fir shrugged, then glanced at the katana sheathed by my belt "I'm happy to train with you if you'd like. I'm not as good as Ryoma, but I'm sure I can help you out"

"That'll be great. Thanks Fir"

"Enough talking then. Let's get started" Fir got an excited look in her eyes as she drew her Killing Edge. I threw my summoner robe off and drew my own katana, my hands gripping the handle firmly. Both of us lunged at each other and our swords clashed, our wills and strength trying to overpower the other. I've grown better since the last time me and Fir sparred, so hopefully it won't be a clean sweep like last time.

"Ryoma's been doing you well. You're holding out longer than last time" Fir said, impressed.

"You walked up to me and challenged me out of nowhere before. I wasn't prepared" I replied, teeth grit. Our clash of blades was going nowhere, so I began to slowly move my foot to kick Fir backwards. The myrmidon saw it coming and quickly slid her sword off mine, making an instantaneous swing towards my bicep. I darted back to dodge and then slid in with a shoulder bash, knocking Fir back.

"What has Ryoma been teaching you? I don't know any samurai who fights with kicks and his shoulders!" Fir shook her head and charged at me again, swinging like a whirlwind of slashes. I was forced on the defensive and only my longer and broader sword protected me.

"It's my own fighting style. I'll need every advantage I can get in a fight" I caught Fir's sword with mine and pushed it down towards her head "Fighting fully fair doesn't suit me"

I raised my boot and tried to stomp on Fir's foot to lower her guard, but the myrmidon again escaped our clash and dodged, smacking the flat end of her Killing Edge into my face. Before I knew it, I was on the ground with a hard bruise on my nose, along with the back of my head.

"Yield" Fir said, her sword tip inches away from my face. Her other hand was stretched out to me while a smirk marked her face "You put up a good fight though. Reminds me of the bandits I fought back in my world"

"Oh gee, thanks. I love being compared to a bandit" I accepted Fir's hand and got up, picking up my katana that skittered away.

"I meant by the way you fight. It's unpredictable" The myrmidon explained "Against normal samurai like Ryoma or noble swordsmen like Eliwood, all I have to do is watch their sword and react accordingly. With you though, I have to watch for attacks from multiple angles"

"You make it sound like you struggled, but you still won" I commented "Did you…"

"Oh, I held back absolutely. I come from a world where it's easy to find a fight. You didn't" Fir smiled "And besides, I didn't want to put you out of commission for too long. You have your other duties after all"

"Yeah, that's true. Thanks for your sentiment" I took a swig from my canteen "I should probably get this bruise fixed up. Thanks for sparring with me Fir"

"No problem! If you ever want to do it again, you know where to find me" Fir grinned and then returned to hacking away at a dummy while I made my way to the infirmary, picking up my white and gold robe along the way.

"Oh right. All my healers are out now. I really need to summon more" I groaned to myself as I walked down the fairly empty hallway "Guess I'll find some ice to bring down this bruise for the time being"

When I arrived at the infirmary near the lobby of the castle, I only found Lachesis present, who was organizing the various medicines and supplies. Her staff and sword were resting by the entrance. That reminded me that Lachesis has been training in swords too. She mentioned knowing how to use them back in her world, but ever since coming to Askr, she suddenly lost the innate skill.

"Hey Lachesis. Mind fixing me up? Fir gave me a bad bruise on my nose today during training" I said, pointing to the purple bump. Lachesis turned and picked up her staff, healing my wounds instantly "Thanks. Hey, what's with the long face?"

"Oh nothing. I'm just pondering over what I should say to Eldie once he comes back to the castle" Lachesis bit her lip, clearing in conflicted thought.

"Eldie? You mean Eldigan, right?"

"Yes. He's my brother and an absolute paragon of a knight, as well as a man in general" Lachesis got a wistful look in her eyes "I swore that I will never marry as long as a man like Eldigan is in my life"

"That's… a little extreme"

"I'm only starting to know that now. In my world, Eldie was already executed by that dastard "King" Chagall" Lachesis's expression grew pained, her bad memories returning "He had the tenacity to send Eldigan's head back in a package. Only after I tried commiting suicide with the Earth Sword did I realize that Eldie isn't perfect"

"Nobody is" I replied "And hold on, you tried commiting suicide with what sword?"

"The Earth Sword. Eldie gave it to me before departing back to negotiate with Chagall" The princess pointed to the Armorslayer-like sword lying on the wall. Upon closer inspection, I noticed glowing red runes written on the blade "It would be the last time I'd ever see him in person. Ironically, it's the sword that kept me from killing myself with it"

"That makes no sense"

"The Earth Sword is special. Like Eldie's Mystletainn, it drains the life of the enemies I face and restores my own energy" Lachesis had an amused smile "So when I stabbed myself with it, it drained my life energy and then used it to heal me again"

"I don't think that's something to find funny" I said, talking to Lachesis's amused expression.

"I suppose not. Anyway, I noticed after that incident that Eldie isn't perfect. He holds up to his ideals and vows of knighthood too far and it's what got him killed. Now that I can see him again, I don't know what to say" Lachesis buried her head in her hands "Should I yell at him for being so stupid to not notice Chagall's jealously for him? That'll hurt my relationship with him, but if I jump into his arms and be glad he's back, he won't change for the better. What can I do…?"

I put my hand on Lachesis's shoulder "I don't know the relationship between you and Eldigan very well, but I think he'll accept your berating as advice to do better and change. Plus, it's a sign that you're growing up"

"It all depends on what time this Eldigan came from" Lachesis replied "If this Eldigan was from when he battled Sir Sigurd, he'll brush off my scowling as rumors against Chagall. But if it's moments before his execution…"

"I think he'll listen to your words regardless. You won't hurt your relationship by scolding him out. It's brother and sisterly love" I said "When he comes back, you should tell him what happens in your world and that he needs to change. Upholding your knightly vows and virtues is good and all, but it makes you vulnerable to tricks from more nasty foes. We can't have Eldigan falling for traps like that here"

"You're right. Thank you Lucian" Lachesis smiled and nodded "By the way, I'd hate to ask a favor after you helped me, but is there any chance you can summon my friend Finn here? He comforted me after Eldigan was executed and well… I'd love to talk to him again. He's so gentle and kind, yet has a strong and determined aura. Kinda like Eldie…"

"So much for not marrying as long as Eldigan's alive" I replied with a smirk and Lachesis blushed "I'm sorry Lachesis, but summoning is entirely random. The pool of heroes I can summon seems to get new additions every month, so it's up to the gods of this world to decide whether or not I can summon Finn. I can't guarantee anything"

"I thought so. Thanks anyways though" The princess nodded "Well, I'm just about done organizing here. I'm going to catch some tea time with Celica and Cordelia. I'll see you around Lucian"

Lachesis took her staff and sword and left the infirmary, leaving me with nothing else to do to kill time. I decided to just organize the Order's mail and update the notice board. I was in the middle of that when Ike's training party returned, with Eldigan and Reinhardt looking much stronger than before.

"Eldigan's one strong cavalier. His sword swings strike hard and true and they always seem to hit the foe's vital organs" Ike told me in his battle report "He also has a remarkable resistance to magic and Eldigan tells that it's all due to the Mystletainn. He's a bit slow, but all in all, a fine warrior"

"Lachesis told me that the Mystletainn can steal the life of foes and restore Eldigan's own health. Did you see that?" I asked Ike and the mercenary frowned, puzzled.

"No, I didn't see that. Otherwise, Serra and Maria would be healing him a lot less" Ike shook his head.

"Oh. I guess the Mystletainn weakened when it passed into Askr. That happened with your Ragnell too, did it?" I pointed to the golden sword Ike was holding and he nodded.

"It used to give me a minor shield against physical attacks. Not anymore now" The mercenary gripped Ragnell's handle, as if squeezing it will bring the shield back to life "Anyways, Reinhardt has a lot of untapped potential. He's a strong mage for sure, but he's very, very slow with casting. He mentioned having a personal thunder tome that strikes twice in a row every cast, so that can help him a lot"

"Makes sense. He's only four star now" I swiped my hand sideways and brought up Reinhardt's stat page. Looking at his skill list, I found a five star weapon called Dire Thunder "Here it is. A powerful thunder tome that strikes consecutively, but lowers the user's overall speed due to it's weight"

"I'm already a slow caster as it is, so the speed penalty won't bother me much" Reinhardt said as he approached me "Back in my world, I'm used to using only my Dire Thunder and Master Sword, both of which attack twice instantly. As such, I focus only on pure power as opposed to speed. I apologize for my lack of flexibility"

"That's fine. We have tons of fighters who can cover your weaknesses" I closed Reinhardt's stat page "Ike, Olivia, Serra, Maria and Eldigan, you're dismissed. You are free to rest. Reinhardt, follow me"

"You're still buying me dinner tonight, right?" Serra asked "I took more than a few scratches from that training session, so I want extra to compensate!"

"Of course. Nothing too expensive, like I said though. So don't go ordering lion or buffalo steaks" I told the cleric "I'll get your dessert to pay for your scrapes though"

"Ah well, fine by me. Much appreciated Lucian!" Serra grinned and then skipped off back into the barracks, followed by Ike, Maria, Eldigan and Olivia. I saw Lachesis dash in not too long later.

"Now then, what did you want me following you for?" Reinhardt asked as he followed me down to the storage room, his hands behind his back.

"I'm getting you your Dire Thunder back"

"And how would you do that? When I arrived here, I only had a Thoron tome on hand. As far as I know, it's been lost in between the space of my world and yours or…" I stopped Reinhardt before he could continue talking.

"Don't worry about it. I have my ways" I opened the storage room door and hauled twenty thousand Hero Feathers, 20 Great Azure Badges and tons of Universal Crystals before setting off to the summoning altar. I did this process a couple times before, particularly with Alfonse, Legion and Clarisse recently, but it was always a pain taking a huge sack of feathers and badges all the way to the altar. It made me wish Anna could construct one right here in the castle.

"Alright, we're here. Now how did I do it again…" I rummaged through the bag and set the twenty blue insignias in a circle on the altar's floor, before scattering the Hero Feathers like a wreath around them. Despite the wind blowing through, none of the Hero Feathers even moved an inch. Convenient.

"Okay Reinhardt, stand in the middle of the circle and don't worry. I've done this plenty of times before" I took out the Breidablik from a pocket in my robe "Just shut up and don't question it"

Reinhardt blinked and then obeyed, stepping into the circle of badges and feathers. I aimed the Breidablik at him and the badges and feathers resonated with my shot, glowing with white light. They began rising and spiraling around Reinhardt, veiling him in a shroud of glowing light. Just as suddenly, the badges and feathers faded, as well as the veil of light. Reinhardt emerged, looking stronger and the Dire Thunder tome in his hand.

"Incredible… I didn't think I'd have the tome back in my hands so soon" Reinhardt flipped through its pages, impressed "But I feel weaker than before that… process. Why so?"

"I can fix that" I dug out the final item in my bag: all the Universal Crystals "Eat these and you'll feel stronger than before. Trust me, it's nothing bad and it tastes like hard candy almost"

"I suppose I have no reason to distrust you" Reinhardt took the crystal and ate it gingerly "You're right. It tastes like… lemon actually. Hard lemon candy"

"Lemon?" I stared at the crystal in my hand "Jaffar said it was like chewing metal. Let me give it a try…"

I chipped off a piece of the crystal and gave it a taste. Reinhardt was right. It DID taste like lemon. Maybe Jaffar's sense of taste was dull due to his assassin training or something.

"Anyways, thank you for giving me back my tome. I feel stronger already thanks to it" Reinhardt bowed "With this, allow me to wreck havoc among the enemy with my new thunder magic"

"I appreciate that. Let's head back to the castle now" I picked up my bag and we headed back to base. When we got back, an Askrian border guard was waiting, looking grim and scarred.

"Summoner Lucian, we have a problem" The guard's grip on his lance was unsteady "The Sacred World is being attacked by Embla again and they brought high numbers with them. We need reinforcements from the Order to rout them out"

"Understood. I'll have a party sortied quickly" I replied and the soldier nodded, heading to the infirmary to get healed. I decided to take Nino, Jaffar, Reinhardt and Eldigan, so I sent Reinhardt to the barracks to find them. Meanwhile, I had to get skill pins for our two new cavaliers.

"I thought Embla and Askr were at a ceasefire thanks to Bruno" I thought aloud as I walked down the hallway towards the storage room "Why is Embla attacking now…? By the looks of it, they have more than enough numbers"

Trying to work out Embla's motivations was an unconquerable enigma at the moment, so I decided to put it aside and do what I do best: leading heroes to liberate worlds from Embla's hands.

"I hope Veronica stops this behavior soon. We have to unite to combat Muspell and this isn't helping matters at all…"

 **Painful Reunion:** Lachesis and Eldigan's C Support

"Eldie! Eldigan, where are you?!" Lachesis called, her voice echoing across the barracks hallway. Several heroes groaned and some called at Lachesis to stop yelling, but the princess was determined to find her brother. It's just that there were so many rooms in the barracks that it was a maze trying to find one specific room.

"Lachesis, what are you doing? People are trying to sleep you know" Eldigan opened the door and stepped out, his long hair disheveled from slumber "What do you need me for?"

"Eldie I…" Lachesis couldn't stop herself and crushed Eldigan in a hug. The paladin hugged her back, always surprised by her strength. The blood of Hezul did a lot of good for her "I didn't think I'd see you again. After you were executed by Chagall I… I wept for days"

"I thought you would. I was moments before my execution when I was summoned. My last thoughts were worrying for you" Eldigan whispered affectionately "I'm sorry Lachesis. I should of seen King Chagall's wickedness sooner but I-"

"It's your knightly vows and loyalty that got you killed" Lachesis let go of her brother "And that's what I want you to change. Not everyone's a golden warrior that fights honorably like you. There are wicked people out in the world worse than Chagall. You could be tricked and killed again if your behavior stands!"

"Lachesis, you don't understand. It's written in the legacy of Hezul that those who wield Mystletainn swear undying fealty to Agustria's crown" Eldigan argued "I knew of Chagall's brashness and animosity towards me, but I can't do a lot to combat that"

"Oh posh, it's just an unnecessary rule written in history. Nobody says you can't break it" Lachesis shot back "And Eldie, did you not know what the masses thought about you? They want YOU as king of Agustria, not Chagall. Yet by allowing him to take the throne and use you as a pawn, they've lost faith in you. Is it not a paladin's duty to serve the people of a country?"

"Yes, but please understand Lachesis, I don't want the throne. I have no experience in politics or ruling a country. The best I could do was advise Chagall and try to steer him away from a path of tyranny" Eldigan replied "That way, Agustria would have a king who knew what he was doing and then-"

"Enough Eldie. That's in the past and we've steered off the main point" Lachesis closed her eyes and sighed "Regardless, your insatiable loyalty, honor and commitment to your knightly code cannot stay here in Askr. They will be more dirty and tricky foes and I cannot have you dying again. Got it?!"

Eldigan smiled "Your sharp tongue still stays Lachesis. Alright, I'll do what you say. With no Agustria here, I can remain loyal to the right person and that's Lucian. I'll be wary of tricks and deceptions on the road as well"

"Good. Don't go helping every poor schmuck you see" Lachesis warned "People get desperate when they're poor and homeless you know"

"Yes mother" Eldigan replied sarcastically "Now is that all you have to tell me? I WAS in the middle of a good nap"

"That's all. Sleep well Eldie" Lachesis gave her brother one last hug "And brush your hair when you awaken. When it's unkempt like this, you lose a lot of your regal aura"

"Ha ha. Of course. I'll see you around sister"

"Bye Eldie!" And Lachesis headed back to her room. Eldigan was about to re-enter his when Reinhardt approached him, a new tome tucked under his arms.

"Lord Eldigan of Nordion, Lucian wants you in the lobby. There's been a crisis in the Sacred World and we need to go settle it" The mage knight said "Get your weapon and hurry. I'm going to find Nino and Jaffar"

"Understood. Thank you for telling me" Eldigan nodded and Reinhardt rushed off. The paladin quickly brushed his hair before picking up his Mystletainn "I've escaped the political spider web of Agustria and found someone I know I can assure my loyalty to and feel safe about it. It hurt the first time to abandon Lachesis, but I swear on Hezul's demon blade, I won't do it a second time here"

With that, Eldigan strode out of his room and headed down to the lobby to meet with Lucian. To the first campaign in Askr, the paladin of Nordion shall ride a new man.

 **So this was originally supposed to be Paralogue 10: Sacred World, but the pre-battle world building and banter eventually overtook most of the story, so I decided to convert it into a sidestory. Sort of like a Castle Story in Dragalia Lost, where multiple characters engage in a short story to build the world around them as well as character. For this one, it's a short story between Lachesis and Eldigan, who I did pull prior to the Sacred World banner on Hero Fest 2. King Chagall sending Eldigan's head back as a "present" didn't happen in FE4. It's just a detail I took from Naryfiel Lilith's FE4 novelization. Lachesis trying to commit suicide via the Earth Sword happened in the FE4 manga (or one of the them idk) and the Mystletainn doesn't actually have a Nosferatu effect. It's again, taken from Naryfiel Lilith's FE4 novelization as well as the fact Mystletainn's called the "Demon Sword" so it has to have a reason for that name beyond being the darkest looking sword among the FE4 legendaries. Lachesis having a thing for Finn comes from the fact Lachesis x Finn is heavily implied in FE5. Coming up next is Paralogue 10: Sacred World (I promise) If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to leave constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time fellow summoners!**


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